Taking the Long Way Home
by LackOfImagination
Summary: After the fight with the newborns, Bella realizes just how much Jacob means to her. BellaxJacob Rated M for future lemons! My first fanfic!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my first attempt at a fanfic, so go easy on me! I'd really appreciate reviews (good or bad).**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any of this, SM does. Because if I did, it would have ended this way!

"I… I love you, Bella. I'll wait for you…" Jake's voice was pleading with me then. He knew I was about to walk out of his life and back into Edward's arms. I had given him a glimpse of what he wanted most, asked him to kiss me before he left to fight for me. In a moment of desperation, I had let him believe I loved him, that I chose him finally, after all we had been through. He had just risked himself for me, and for that sacrifice he had received not just broken bones but now a broken heart. Again.

"Until my heart stops beating," I finished, knowing what he was about to say. My eyes shifted to the floor, unable to meet his gaze with mine. I began to back out of the room, avoiding his unyielding stare. I had a sudden flash of my life without Jake in it. For a moment the eternity I had dreamed of with Edward was the last thing I wanted, and I just barely held myself from jumping back into Jake's arms like I had been on the mountaintop. The room began to feel suddenly smaller, airless. I blinked back the springing tears and took my last step out of his room, my head hung low, every step further from Jake taking me further down a dark cavern into emptiness. Instinctively, I clutched an arm across my stomach. I could feel the familiar hole begin to kindle and burn at the edges.

I barely heard him as I let my other hand drop from the doorjamb, as he whispered "Maybe even then." And with those words I felt a sharp pinch in my heart.

I couldn't bear to look at him like that, my Jacob, but I knew I couldn't stay. I loved Edward, had fought for his life in Italy just like Jacob had done for me against the newborns today. The irony wasn't lost on me. I knew Jacob loved me but…_. _but I loved Edward (_don't I?_), had sacrificed so much to have him here with me, after all that time apart, when he left me. I wondered fleetingly if that was enough to sustain our relationship, just the fact that he was back after his self-imposed extended absence. Yes, we loved each other, didn't we? And yet the pinching in my heart nagged at me, almost demanding me to feel otherwise, as I left Jacob to his solitary grief. _Bella, get a hold of yourself._ I could feel the tears welling up, threatening to overflow as I walked to my truck. Everything was blurry now, and I felt my face crumpling against my will. I got into the truck that Jake had fixed for me back before he even knew me, and braced my hands on the steering wheel. Taking what I meant to be a cleansing, calming breath, I instead inhaled what could only be described as pure Jacob, the musky scent of pine and outdoors. I lost my control then, allowing the tears to fall in loud, racking sobs, my whole body heaving with the force of my anguish. I wept into my hands, covering my face, hoping the hard pressure of my palms on my cheeks would distract me from the pain. I don't know how long I spent there in the cab of my truck, mourning the loss of my best friend. _He'll never speak to me again. This is it, the end. Now that I'm marrying Edward, and going to become a vampire… _I almost couldn't believe it. I had finally gotten what I wanted, and it was breaking me. The pinch I had felt earlier at Jacob's words had, through the course of allowing my tears to fall, turned into a forceful, deep ache.

I took a slow breath through my mouth this time (I knew better than to allow his scent back into my nose), and exhaled jaggedly, an attempt at composing myself. I turned the key in the ignition, the loud rumble of the truck announcing my departure, and maneuvered my way out of Jake's driveway. I thought I saw the curtain of Jake's room sway as the headlights passed over the house. The tears continued to fall.

I pulled into the driveway at Charlie's, and all the interior lights were off so I knew he would be sound asleep. Thank God for small favors. I really didn't feel like facing him, having to concoct an excuse for why I looked how I did. My head was pounding from the stress of the day, from leaving Jacob, from the sudden uncertainty in my future. I sighed, relieved; I heard him snoring though the bedroom door as I shuffled past on the way to my room. I could feel the breeze on my feet from under the door as I approached my room, and knew that Edward would be waiting for me. He had come through the window as always, but tonight I just willed him away silently. I hesitated, my hand on the doorknob, closing my eyes. I was not in the mood for talking tonight. I just wanted to wallow in my own pathetic misery, allowing myself the freedom to shed the tears that might remain after nearly exhausting myself in Jake's driveway. I groaned to myself, mentally preparing for the inevitable inquisition Edward would put me through, and opened the door. _Might as well get this over with._

"Bella," he cooed, "I've been waiting for you. Where have you been? Alice couldn't see you, so I assume you've been with…" his voiced trailed off as I stepped into the light, giving him a full look at my wretched face. I squinted in the brightness of the room, my eyes still red and stinging from all the crying. Edward's eyes went wide in anger and surprise. "What did he do to you? Did he hurt you?" He was inches from me in an instant, his icy hands on my swollen, tear-stained face. I barely had the energy left in me to respond.

"No, Edward, of course he didn't hurt me. I was the one doing all the hurting." I placed my hands over his, gently pulling them from my face as I sat on the bed. "Apparently that's my thing." I added bitterly. I dropped my folded hands in my lap and let my eyelids fall, slumping my shoulders in my dejected state. My body craved to be lying down, and for once I did not want him to stay with me. This was one of the few times I wished Edward could read my mind. _Go home, _I pleaded internally with him. _I just want this day to be over. _

I could feel him standing over me, his cold skin radiating, but I refused to look at him. I was just scarcely hanging onto my sanity and looking at him would break me into a million pieces. Today I felt a shift in myself, barely perceptible, but I knew it had happened. I needed time to think, to process everything. _What the hell is wrong with me? Am I ever going to feel whole? I got what I wanted and I'm still not happy. _Sensing the tears returning to my eyes, I squeezed them tight. _Breathe, Bella. Just breathe…_

Edward sat on the bed next to me and pulled me to him, wrapping his marble arm around my shoulders. I winced at the contact, and I could feel his body tighten next to mine.

"Edward, I really feel like I need to be alone tonight," I managed to squeak out, my voice cracking. "It's been a long day, and I…" I couldn't continue, I could feel my throat tightening, the sob building. He didn't take the hint, instead pulling me tighter. _Of course. Why wouldn't he think he knows what's better for me than I do?_

"Bella, I really don't think you should be alone tonight. You've been under incredible strain all day, and having to watch me fight Victoria to the death couldn't have been easy." He hesitated, and continued cautiously, "And having to set Jacob straight must have been difficult, I can see that." I was growing more irritable by the minute. If he didn't leave soon I was going to just tilt my head back and scream bloody murder.

"My patience is worn thin right now, and I don't want to say anything I'm going to regret." Even without looking at him I knew he had pulled his lips into a tight line, as he always did, and was pinching the bridge of his nose. I shrugged off his arm from my shoulder, leaned back to lay down behind him, and turned to face the wall. He didn't leave, not that I thought he would, though I was thankful when I felt the mattress shift and he got up to turn out the light. I was so exhausted that I don't even remember falling asleep.

Suddenly, I was in the forest, just below me in the field I could see the battle unfold with the newborns. From my vantage point behind a tall, broad pine tree, I could catch most of the action, disguising my scent by wearing Esme's clothes, and one of her long winter coats, not that she needed them. Things were moving so fast, the wolves breaking vampires into pieces, the Cullens pulling apart their undead brothers. I watched in horror, frozen in place. Then, almost as if it were in slow motion, Edward turned to me, our eyes locking, an unfamiliar glint flashing briefly before he turned away. In vampire speed he sprinted across the field and jumped onto the back of a russet wolf. His teeth bared and every inch of him shining spectacularly in the sunlight, with all the force in his body he gnashed at the wolf's flesh. A horrible, piercing howl emanated from the wolf as slow recognition spread through me.

Leaving my safety of the woods behind, I screamed as I ran to him. "Jacob! NO! Oh my god, Jacob!" It felt like I was trudging through quicksand, my legs glued, stationary. After what felt like an eternity I reached him; he was phased back into human form now. Throwing myself on the ground I knelt beside him, grasping his rough hand in mine as tightly as I could. "Jacob please! You can't leave me!" I was begging, my voice shrill and wild. He looked at me briefly with his beautiful black eyes, and murmured, "Bells." Then his focus was lost, he was looking through me. I knew he was fading away. Wailing and crazed, my face slick with tears, I was desperately calling him back to me.

"Jacob, you can't! I love you! Jacob!"

I was being pulled away, falling backward; My hold was broken on Jacob's hand and I could feel the arctic grasp through the layers of Esme's clothes. Edward. Hatred burned in me; from my very soul I could feel nothing but vengeance vibrating through every fiber of my being.

I growled, deep within my chest, a sound I had never heard before, primal. I was at Edward's throat, tearing at his thick skin with my fingernails, spitting in his perfect face. "You! Don't touch me! I saw what you did! You killed him! Edward, why would you do this to me! I hate you! If I live to be a thousand years I will hate you for all of them!" And with that I collapsed into an anguished heap in the middle of the field.

With my head wrapped in my arms and the war waging around me, he was shaking me, gently, then urgently. My eyes flew open to Edward standing over my bed in the moonlight, looking stricken. "Bella! Bella, wake up!"

My face was wet, had I been crying? My pillow was, too. Then I remembered, _Jacob. I must have been talking in my sleep. Oh…_

Edward had pulled his face into a snarl as he stared at me, unsure of what to say. "Do you mind explaining to me exactly what you were dreaming about?"

My mouth started to open to form a response, but I quickly closed it again. I knew what he must have heard, but I had no real explanations for him. I questioned the whole thing myself. _Did my brain know something I didn't? _All was silent in the room, except for the rapid beating of my heart.

"Edward, I'm not sure how to say this, so I'm just going to spit it out." His eyes were burning holes into me, but I purposefully waited to look at him until I gained the courage to say what I knew I needed to. I didn't need his shining topaz eyes or crooked smile weakening my nerve.

"I can't marry you. I think I'm in love with Jacob."


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry this one is so short, guys. I'm hoping that by making the chapters shorter I will be able to update more often. If you'd prefer to wait and have longer chapters, let me know in the comments. **

**Disclaimer: You all know it. SM owns this.**

**Chapter Two**

"_Edward, I'm not sure how to say this, so I'm just going to spit it out." His eyes were burning holes into me, but I purposefully waited to look at him until I gained the courage to say what I knew I needed to. I didn't need his shining topaz eyes or crooked smile weakening my nerve._

_"I can't marry you. I think I'm in love with Jacob."_

Though I surprised myself by my admission, I knew suddenly that it was the change I felt yesterday. And in saying the words out loud, even to Edward, I felt lighter. As if I had made a right choice, instead of continuing to screw up time after time.

I raised myself into a sitting position, holding my breath, anticipating his fury. The room remained dead silent; he didn't move or speak a word. My eyes fell to the ring on my left hand, his mother's ring. Beautiful as it was, I felt nothing when I looked at it, no more excitement or butterflies.

He spoke, slowly, deliberately. "Bella. I don't think you understand what you're saying, what you're asking of me and my family."

"What are you talking about? What does your family have to do with anything?" I was confused at his statement, his lack of anger at me. His tone suggested he was trying to explain a difficult concept to a child.

His lips curled into a small placating smile as he lowered himself slowly to sit beside me. _Why does he have to be so damn condescending all the time? Ugh… _"Well, for one, I can't live without you. I've waited a hundred years for you, so I don't think I'll be letting you leave me so easily."

I scoffed at him, rolling my eyes. "It's not really your choice, Edward. I can be with whomever I please. That's how it works in the human world."

"Isn't it?" He stood again, stooping over me to bring his face to mine. "Isn't it within my control? Have you forgotten you're part of my world now?" He paused, as if debating his next words. "In the Volturi's world?" He glared at me meaningfully.

I was furious he had threatened me, essentially threatened everyone we knew. I hadn't forgotten that if the Volturi heard of my human status they would take the punishment out on everyone I loved, Charlie, the rest of the Cullens, Jake… It was making sense, piece by piece. My heart fell into the pit of my stomach, finally perceiving his true intent. If I left him, he would summon the Volturi and tell them I had not been changed. Naturally he knew I would protect Charlie. He would force my hand. He was forcing me to be with him. _I can't believe this is happening._

"You wouldn't!" I yelled, forgetting Charlie in the next room.

His face was not the same I had grown to love. It was bitter, spiteful. He spat his words at me, sneering. "I suppose that's your chance to take."

Glancing at the door, he spoke in a hush. "Charlie's up, he's coming to check on you. I should inform Carlisle of your… dilemma. I'm sure you'll recover your right frame of mind before we speak again." With a breeze, he was out the window and running across the woods toward home.

I felt as though I had been punched in the gut. It was impossible to breathe. A sweat broke out across my furrowed brow as I tried to make sense of what had just transpired. _Edward would rather I be dead than with Jake. He couldn't really mean… _

Charlie was at the door, peeking his head in. "Bells, you alright? I heard you yelling and I just thought…" His eyes were questioning, concerned.

"Yeah… yeah, I'm fine, I was just having a nightmare." It seemed like a gross understatement.

"Oh, ok." He glanced at the window, the curtains still dancing in the breeze. "You want me to shut this? It's a little chilly out there. Wouldn't want you to catch cold." Without waiting for my response he was gliding the window down, locking it tight. I was relieved when I heard the click of the lock in place. I didn't want Edward back in here tonight _As if a flimsy window would stop him. _I shuddered at the thought, feeling afraid of him for the first time.

"Try to get back to sleep. It's late." He shut the door behind him as he stumbled back to bed.

I was alone again, trying to organize my thoughts. There was no way I'd be able to get back to sleep after Edward's veiled threats. This wasn't the Edward I knew. He'd been crazed, basically threatening my life? I had to find a way to speak to Esme and Carlisle, get them to talk some sense into Edward. I don't know how they'd take it but they always treated me like family before, hadn't they? I couldn't imagine they would want to see me killed by the Volturi, but then I would have said the same, would have staked my life, that Edward wouldn't have either. Now I wasn't so sure.

As night slipped away, the morning light peeked into my window. I had my plan.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews everyone! It's pretty encouraging that you like it so far. Bella and Jake finally start prepping the ol' lemons in this chapter but they won't seal the deal just yet.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. **

**Chapter Three**

I pretended to be asleep until Charlie left for work. I heard him rustling about the house, opening and closing cabinets, fumbling with the coffee pot, and finally his boots across the floor with the door slamming behind them. I waited until I heard the cruiser back out of the driveway before jumping out of bed and getting dressed.

It was still pretty early, not yet 7am, but I knew that the Cullens didn't sleep so I didn't think they would mind me stopping by to talk. Not to mention I thought Edward might need their help claiming back his lost mind. I tried not to think about his words from last night. _He was just upset. I broke off our engagement, and told him I love his natural enemy, of course he would overreact. _I could allow him that much. I just wasn't sure to what degree he meant what he said.

I hadn't realized I was shaking until I tried to put the key in the ignition. I used both hands to steady myself and finally got the key turned. On second thought, maybe I should go see Jacob first. I didn't know how much I could trust Edward, or how much his family would agree with his train of thought. What if he was there at his house alone? Would he try to keep me there, under the guise of "protecting" me from myself? I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, knowing that I would be comforted by Jacob's musky scent in the truck. I could feel my confidence coming back, and even allowed myself a slight smile as I thought of Jacob's dark eyes, his lips on mine. The passionate kiss we shared just yesterday. I pressed my fingers to my lips, imagining myself back in his arms. A rosy blush bloomed on my cheeks, and I couldn't wait to see his face when I expressed my love for him. Finally.

It was another standard gloomy day in Forks, but when I at last could distinguish the little red house out of the fog it was almost as if the sun began to shine. It clicked in my head immediately, _My sun, my Jacob._ Feeling finally at ease, I smiled widely, anxious to be inside his cozy room. I practically ran to the front door after easing the truck to a stop.

My heart pounded as I knocked. I couldn't help but fidget while waiting on the porch, giddy and impatient. I heard someone approaching and eagerly craned my neck to see around the opening door.

Billy's angry face stared back at me, not even offering me a greeting. I wasn't sure what to do so I ignored his burning stare and pretended everything was normal.

"Billy, hi," I tried to sound upbeat, chipper even, despite my inward discomfort. He must know what happened yesterday between Jake and me. _I'll wait for you,_ I remembered his words, and a shiver traveled down my spine.

"Bella."

I shifted on my feet, leaning left then right and back again. I could hardly keep eye contact with him but I summoned my courage finally, and asked to see Jacob. Billy's eyes narrowed at me, untrusting, but he wheeled back a bit from the door to give me space to walk. He didn't speak another word but I could feel him watch me as I walked through the living room to Jacob's bedroom in the back. I walked briskly, happy to be away from his accusatory glares, happier still to be getting back to the one place I had always felt I belonged, with Jacob.

His bedroom door was ajar, darkness beyond it, and I could tell the lights must still be off. I had forgotten in my rush to get out of the house that it was still early, and he'd had a long, late night. Taking a step forward I pushed the door open, the light from the kitchen behind me casting shadows in the room and shining light on his face.

He turned to see who was standing at the door, and startled me with his unexpected movement. I jumped a little in my shoes, embarrassed, and felt myself redden from my chest all the way up to my face. Suddenly shy, I stood awkwardly in his doorway and cleared my throat. He said nothing, only watching me dolefully. After what felt like hours I worked myself up to taking hesitant steps toward the bed.

"Hey, Jake," I whispered, unsure I had actually said the words loud enough for him to hear. It took him so long to answer me that I was convinced I hadn't and was about to say them again.

"Hi." His voice was uncertain; a foreign expression owned his face. _Was it pain? _

I sat beside him, edging as close as I could without disturbing his injured body. I could feel his heat against my hip, and where it touched me I was tingling, butterflies fluttering around in my stomach. He had one arm completely under the sheet and the other was positioned across his strong chest. I took his exposed hand in mine, and his strained features softened. He watched me as I deliberately weaved our fingers together and brought them into my lap.

"What are you doing here, Bella?" His energy was drained, whether from emotional or physical exhaustion I couldn't tell.

"Well, I came to… to… tell you something. I, uh… I didn't think it could wait," I stammered, growing self-conscious. I bent my head and let my hair create a screen between us, hiding my face. _What happened to all that confidence I had on the way over here?_

"Ok, so go ahead, tell me what's so important it could barely wait past sunrise." I felt myself relax at his attempt to lighten the situation, which made it easier for me to get to the point of my coming here.

"Jake," I sighed, "I've been an idiot. I've been completely and utterly blind." He glanced down at our joined hands as I squeezed his in mine.

"Bells, where's your ring," he questioned, snapping his eyes to my face, searchingly. The corners of his mouth twitched hopefully, but he held himself back, not wanting to be drawn in by me yet again.

I thought of the ring, now tossed carelessly in the truck's glove box. I had brought it with me this morning, intending to go to the Cullen's first, then when I changed my plans I'd shoved it in there, not knowing what else to do with it as I headed to Jake's.

"I'm giving it back to him. I broke it off, Jake. I told him I can't marry him, that there was someone else." I spoke in a low voice, feeling my lips curl into a bashful smile. "It's taken me so long to realize it that I almost blew it, but… it's you, Jake. I… I love you." The last words came out nearly in a whisper, and I looked up through the curtain of chocolate waves into his face.

He gingerly pulled his other arm from beneath the sheet and brought it to my cheek, caressing me, brushing my hair back behind my ear and exposing all of my face. He held his breath, and his deep, obsidian eyes appeared impossibly deeper as they finally settled on mine. I closed my eyes for a moment and leaned into his hand, entwining it with one of my own.

"Jake, I'm so sorry about last night. I'm sorry for every time I hurt you." I looked at him with regret and guilt in my eyes. Tears welled up, but I kept my eyes on his.

He made slow, labored movements, sitting upright in the bed, wincing as he readjusted himself. I still held both his hands in mine, and he gave each one a gentle squeeze. His face had completely relaxed and his gaze was full of love and almost disbelief.

"Bells, you have no idea how long I've wanted to hear you say that," he breathed, bringing his face next to mine. "Say it again."

I grinned, feeling his warm breath on my lips, and obliged him, "I love you, Jacob."

He exhaled with a shudder, and brought his lips to mine. He took my face in his hands, softly stroking my cheek with his thumb, and I wrapped my arms around his neck. Through his tentative, tender kiss I could feel all the love he had for me, all the wishing and hoping he'd built up through the years. He trailed light, feathery kisses across my cheek, along my jaw and down my neck, pulling me to him for a tight embrace.

His lips remained on the sensitive porcelain skin just below my ear, and I could feel his breath, hot and fast, igniting a fire within me, wishing for more. As though reading my thoughts his tongue traced a line up to my ear, bringing it between his teeth and nipping gently. I moaned softly before I could stop myself, giving him the encouragement he sought, as he began to explore me. His hands traveled down my back, grabbing hold of my hips, pressing his fingertips into my eager flesh. His mouth left wet, hungry kisses along my neck before joining his lips back to mine, his tongue begging the entrance I willingly granted. My desire blazed at the taste of him, our breath coming in impassioned pants, my core craving his entrance. I wanted to feel his hands all over me, wanted every inch to be familiar with his touch. _My Jacob, after all this time…_

He was the first to pull from our frenzied kisses, eyes heavy with the lust that threatened to overtake us. "Bells," his voice was husky and breathless, calling me back from being under his spell. Our eyes met, bodies still entwined. He shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut as though in pain. "I can't believe I'm about to say this, but… we need to stop." Peeking one eye open and wincing as if to say, "don't kill me," he reclined away from my expected assault, holding my arms pinned to my sides. My wide-eyed surprise turned to laughter, and he reached to give me a parting kiss on the lips.

"I'm not mad, Jake," I said, as he weaved our fingers together. "You're right, anyway."

In mock astonishment, he dramatically swept an arm to his forehead and lamented, "The end must be near, that's the second thing you've said that I never thought I would hear in a million years!" I swatted him playfully and giggled, feeling the intensity of our heat dissipating into a manageable glow.

"I must say, though… after all the times I stopped you, now I know how it feels and I can certainly relate to your frustration," I confided. He impishly smirked at me, his eyes maintaining innocence.

"Well," he brushed a hand through his hair, trying to explain. "I just think that we should take it a little slower, not that I don't want to… _you know_," His eyes clouded over with suppressed desire at the thought. I was impressed with his self-control (_where the hell had mine gone?_), and nodded my agreement. "I just want it to be special, Bells. When we…" He let his eyes fall from mine, realizing his statement inadvertently betrayed that he'd thought of this before.

A knock at the front door interrupted our thoughts, and I heard muffled voices as Billy welcomed the visitor.

"Oh, that must be Carlisle, he said he'd check in on me this morning," Jake guessed, and, suddenly lightheaded, I felt the blood rush from my face. Noticing my stressed reaction, he looked at me quizzically, asking if I was alright. I could only see his lips moving but could not hear the sounds, the room turning fuzzy at the edges before finally falling into complete blackness.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of this or I'd be a rich bitch. **

**Chapter Four**

I opened my eyes to Carlisle and Jake leaning over me, concerned. I was suddenly confused. Was I lying down on Jake's bed before? I thought I was sitting up and talking? And, oh… kissing. _Most certainly kissing._

It struck me in an instant and I was terrified that Carlisle would be angry with me for breaking things off with Edward, or that he'd take out Edward's anger on me right here with Jake watching. My mouth was dry, and though I was trying to formulate a cohesive sentence, neither my brain nor my mouth was cooperating.

Carlisle could tell I was having a brain bubble and smiled his usual kind smile. "Bella, apparently you fainted. Are you alright?"

I sat up and rubbed my throbbing head. "Yeah, I just…" I couldn't finish the thought.

"You were concerned how I would react after what happened with Edward last night?"

I shook my head slowly in agreement. I couldn't believe I was ever afraid of Carlisle. It seemed silly. "I wasn't sure if you would agree with what he said." Now it was Jacob's turn to be confused.

"What did he say to you?" When I hesitated in my response, he pressed, "Bella, tell me. It's okay," as he rubbed my shoulder soothingly.

Carlisle took his cue to leave and let us know he'd give us a few minutes to talk, as he could tell I was having some difficulty explaining the situation to Jake. Carlisle shut the door behind him on the way out of Jake's room and we heard him strike up a conversation with Billy as he waited for me to join him out in the kitchen. _He's so intuitive, but I guess that's what a few hundred years of reading people will do._

I sighed, knowing that Jacob was not going to like what I was about to tell him, and he would definitely need some calming down once I got it all out. "Well…" I began, for some reason trying to word my explanation the right way, still protecting Edward from Jacob's hate. "Edward was in my room last night, waiting for me to get there, and when I left you I cried for a while so I just looked awful. When I got there I looked like a mess so he thought you had hurt me." Jake scoffed at me and rolled his eyes. "Then I asked him to leave which he didn't, and I had this horrible dream, that he killed you right in front of me, on purpose." My eyes began to well up just thinking about it, it felt so real to me.

Jake pulled me into a tight embrace and placed his lips to my forehead. "Bells, I'm not going anywhere. I won't let anything happen, not to me or to you or anyone. You're finally mine, how could you think I'd leave you so quickly?" he grinned. His irresistible smile forced me to respond with one of my own and he leaned over for a quick kiss. "So, there has to be more to the story than this, right? You're anxious, I can feel it."

I cleared my throat. "Well, yes… I was talking in my sleep about you, I guess, and Edward heard me so he got mad. He shook me awake, but when I woke up, I knew. I knew I loved you, and I needed to end things with him. This is where the worst comes in; just try to stay calm, okay?" From the tension building in his muscles I could tell he wasn't going to stay as calm as I had hoped but I figured the best way was to just get it out quickly and hope he didn't hear it all clearly.

"When I said I wanted to break things off he basically said he would tell the Volturi about it, which means they'd be forced to either change me or… kill me." I turned to look at him, biting my lip out of nervousness. _Oh, boy._

"Bella, please, go stand near the door." He managed to speak through gritted teeth. His eyes were squeezed shut, and he was shaking all over. Every muscle in his body seemed to want to jump out of his skin, but he was trying to control it with all his might. Even in that state he managed to consider my safety. "Please tell me I heard that wrong. Tell me you didn't just say Edward threatened to _end your life_!" He yelled, slamming his clenched fists down on the bed. He winced from the pain of his force, his injuries still new.

I jumped out of fright and took a step back. "Jake, please, calm down! I don't think he really meant what he said, he was just angry with me." Even as I said the words I wasn't sure how much I believed them. The look in Edward's eyes had been menacing, daring me to test him. I had never seen that side of him before and it scared me.

His eyes flew open as he practically jumped out of bed, and he glared at me, furious. "You're kidding me, right? You're going to still defend him? Bella, would you think about the situation for _one_ second, just one? He gave you a choice of either being with him, or being dead!" He was exasperated, waving his arms around. Jake's anger, though not caused by me was being directed at me. I stood stock-still in the corner, my eyes wide in fear. I'd seen him angry before, even when I had been the reason, and had never been afraid. But this was an entirely different experience. I had never seen him so enraged, and in the brief moment of silence that passed between us, I started to cry. I tried to hold it back, not wanting to upset him any further, and it was like a spell had been lifted from him. His face broadcast the guilt he immediately felt.

"Bells," he said, taking a step toward me. I flinched impulsively, and he halted his motion. "Shit, I'm so sorry. I…" he let his head hang in shame. He rubbed his face with his hands, and looked up, misery in his now damp eyes. "I would never hurt you, Bella, you know that, right?" His voice was thick with remorse and unshed tears. He gently took my hand and placed it on his chest so I could feel his heart beating. "You're everything to me. I'm sorry I scared you. I swear on my life that will never happen again. Ever," he promised, his eyes scanning my face, waiting for me to respond.

I finally relaxed enough to be able to nod my assent. Stepping into his waiting embrace, I reached my arms around his back and buried my face into his chest. He squeezed me tightly, kissing the top of my head and stroking my hair.

After a few quiet moments, he finally spoke, beginning to shake again. "I can't let him take you away again. I'm sorry I scared you, but Bella…" he exhaled deeply, then continued, "he's threatening you, and I won't let him do anything to hurt you. I don't give a shit how _angry_ he is. I guarantee you if he touches one hair on your head he'll have much more to worry about than the Volturi." I felt him beginning to tense up and I caressed his back with my fingernails, trying to relax him. He shivered at my touch, then reached to cup my chin in his hand, leaning down for a soft kiss.

"Forgive me?" he asked, his eyes full of regret, reminding me of a child who'd been scolded.

"Of course I do," I said, and offered him a slight smile. "Now let's go talk to Carlisle and get his take on all of this. He knows Edward the best out of anyone and he'll know how serious he was when he said those things."

Jake's mouth pulled into a scowl but he said nothing. Taking my hand, he opened the door and led the way out to the kitchen where Carlisle and Billy were sitting. They both watched us silently as we entered the room, Carlisle still with his warm smile and Billy with his angry one.

As we sat at the table, Carlisle spoke, "So, Bella, Edward told me a bit about what happened. I'd ask you how true it is but I can see for myself he was not mistaken," he said, gazing for a moment at Jake.

"Carlisle, I didn't mean to hurt Edward. I didn't intend for this to happen, honestly. It just… _did_," I apologized, watching his face, trying to get a read on his reaction.

"I must admit I'm sad for Edward, but also disappointed for selfish reasons. I was looking forward to having you as part of the family, we all were."

Jake gripped my hand under the table in reaction to Carlisle's words, but he maintained his outward composure. I tightened my grasp on him and gave him a reassuring glance. I could see out of the corner of my eye Billy was repulsed. In contrast to my tablemates, my heart broke a little at Carlisle's admission. I silently reminded myself of all the many reasons I had chosen Jacob as my own, and the sadness was gone in an instant.

"I'm worried about what he said, about going to the Volturi if I don't stay with him. He was angry last night, he wasn't himself. I've never seen him like that before, he actually scared me. Did he… mean any of it?"

Carlisle thought for a moment before answering. "I think Alice might be the best one to answer that for you. Why don't you come by right now and we'll see what she has to say? I don't think you should worry, Bella. As you said he's hurt, but I can't imagine he would ever do anything to intentionally put you in harm's way." He was genuine in his response, and I wanted to believe him. Edward's crazed eyes flashed in my mind and I was again unsure.

"Okay, yeah, I guess I could."

"What? Bella, no." Jacob cried in shock. "No offense Carlisle but Edward already said he _would_ put her in harm's way. I can't trust Bella to be in that house with _him _and come back to me in one piece!"

"Jacob, I understand your concerns, but I assure you Bella will be perfectly cared for while she is there. I give you my word. I'd even invite you along if I thought you were up to it, but you really should be resting and allowing your body to heal."

The expression on Jake's face betrayed his thoughts: _You expect me to trust filthy bloodsuckers? Yeah, right._

"Jake, it will be fine, everyone will be there. I'll come right back here and let you know what Alice said as soon as I find out, okay?" He wasn't happy with it, but he could see that Alice would be the best way to find out Edward's intentions.

Carlisle and I made our way out to his car, and I gave Jake a brief kiss before turning to get in. The serious way he looked at me told me he was still expecting the worst. Concern clouded his gaze as he watched us drive away. It made me wonder if he knew something I didn't.

As we pulled up to the house, Alice was already outside waiting for us to arrive. She pulled me into her cold arms and smirked, "I knew you were coming!"

I laughed, "Of course you did," and rolled my eyes at her dramatically.

"Come on, everyone is waiting for us inside. I had a feeling you'd be by to talk," I groaned at the thought of everyone being party to this, having to hear me admit to them all that I had decided not to be part of their coven. I allowed myself to feel a little sad this time. They _were_ like my family.

"Alice if you don't mind, I'd prefer to talk to you in private. I know everyone knows the situation by now but I just don't think I'm ready to face them yet," I confided,

"Sure, Bella. What is it?" She looked at me expectantly. It dawned on me that Edward might not have really made the choice to go to the Volturi, so of course Alice wouldn't have any idea what I would be concerned about.

"Edward told me something last night that was a little… unnerving. He said he'd go to the Volturi to tell them about me if I left him."

Alice looked confused. "Why would he do that? What difference would it make?"

"What do you mean, 'what difference would it make?' It would make a huge difference," I frowned at her. _Being dead or not dead, that's a pretty big difference. _

"I don't think I understand why he would say something like that, Bella. What does he think they're going to do, hold divorce court for him?" She chuckled to herself, still baffled.

"Alice," I stammered. "When you look into my future, what exactly do you see?" My heart was pounding. I had just caught the meaning of what she'd been saying.

"Bella, honestly. You're being so strange."

"Do you not know where I was today?" I questioned her, hoping maybe her premonition ability was broken or something.

"Of course I know. I couldn't see you so I know you were with that… _dog_," she sneered.

"And that's all you see? You still see my future, you still see me?" My voice was rising higher as I realized what it all meant.

"Yes, Bella. I still see you, same as always." She was getting annoyed at my repeated questions.

I moved to sit down, feeling like the rug had been pulled from under me. _Jake. How am I going to be able to go back and tell him this?_ I cringed. Alice finally looked concerned, taking my hand and patting it. "Everything okay?"

"The reason I'm asking you about this is because last night I broke things off with Edward… because I love Jacob. I told Edward I couldn't marry him, that I chose to live a life, a human life, with Jake. That's when Edward said he'd tell the Volturi if I left him," I breathed, barely able to comprehend all the day's events. _I don't spend my life with Jake. How can this be right? _

Alice's eyes went wide. The wheels in her mind were finally turning as she understood Edward's threats, and more importantly, my unchanged future. She looked afraid to say anything else.

"Alice. Tell me what you see when you look into my future." My eyes pleaded with her.

She watched me and then began carefully, "I… when I see you, Bella… you're a… vampire. Edward changes you himself."

**Plot twist! Let me know how you guys like the storyline! Reviews, please! I appreciate everyone who has reviewed already. It really helps me stay motivated on this!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviews, I really appreciate it! I'm seriously feeling the love. **

**Disclaimer: I'm not SM... though I think I'm doing the characters more justice. :)**

**Chapter Five**

She said the words that not two days ago, I would have been rejoicing over. This time I felt my heart throbbing with familiar anguish, more for Jake than for myself. I could accept whatever Edward would throw at me; it was my fault for getting involved with him in the first place despite the fact that what felt like a lifetime ago he'd warned me not to. He'd even abandoned me in the hopes that I would move on; I spent months wishing for him to come back, drowning in the abyss of my own despair. _But I had moved on, hadn't I?_ Jake had healed me; carefully putting all the salvageable pieces back where they belonged, replacing the ones I'd lost with pieces of him. He made himself as much a part of me as _I_ was… Then in classic Bella fashion I followed Edward halfway across the earth like a lovesick little girl, placing my own mortal life in danger for his immortal one, completely disregarding Jake and everything I now realized I owed him. I cringed. _I am so despicable... how can I ever make it up to him?_

I thought wistfully of that night in my kitchen: Jake's lips next to mine so that I could feel his whisper-soft breath, the electricity of the moment sharp and tingling between us, so close to letting him beyond the walls he had worked so hard to break down. Instead of opening my heart to him, letting him into the only place he longed to be, I had disappointed him for the first time that night. He had begged me then not to leave him, pained and angry, his eyes burning with all the force of his love for me. My heart broke, my stomach heaved, when I imagined him begging me for the final time not to let Edward change me. According to Alice, what other option did I have? I knew I would do it… If protecting people I loved meant a lifetime, no, an eternity, of my own unhappiness, then so be it.

But Jake, how could I tell him this? How could I keep building him up ever higher each time only to continue to let him falter? Worse yet, I was the sole cause for the torment in his life. I waited until he was comfortable and at ease and then set in motion the chain reaction that always ends with him crushed, blind sighted, heartbroken. At some point he was just going to break, finally beaten down by the torture of my choices. He didn't deserve this; _I_ didn't deserve _him_.

I imagined myself floating along on the breeze of my dizzy life and in my neglect it had carried me down a path I did not belong. In a panic I realized too late that as a result of my stupidity and inattention, I had effectively destroyed the happiness of everyone I loved. Charlie would never be the same if I were changed; Jake would be a ruined shell of the boy I knew now. The only saving grace was that he still had his imprint out there somewhere, a faceless soul mate, to take away his pain and restore him back to whole. _Once I was gone he could… _I shook my head, rattling the idea right out of my brain. _We still have right now._

Alice silently held my hand, which was slowly turning to ice, but I didn't care. Her eyes were watching me as I processed all the implications of her vision, grappling with the realization that regardless of my own choices my fate was sealed. As Edward had claimed, I was his. I had made two antithetical choices, and yet there had been no variation in my future. _Doesn't that go against the laws of nature? Then again… vampires and werewolves broke a few of their own. Ugh, I don't know what to believe anymore._

"Tell me what to do, Alice." My voice was toneless, overwhelmed with the lack of possibilities, the lack of time. I replayed his words,_ you're finally mine, how could you think I'd leave you so quickly? _He had no idea how swiftly that day would come.

"Well, I don't see the Volturi being involved, so that's a good sign, right?" She looked at me hopefully and plastered a smile on her face for good measure. I didn't respond; I maintained neutrality in my expression and waited for her advice.

"All I can see is that Edward changes you, it looks like your eyes are closed, and when you wake up you're one of us. I don't know anything else, a lot of the background details are sort of fuzzy."

"Okay," I began, "Has he spoken to anyone at all? What has he told you guys about what happened last night?"

"He came home and he was mad, but we all just thought you had a fight or something. He told me about you being 'unsure' about him, and that he was just giving you some space to clear your head but he was confident you'd make the right choice."

"God, he acts like I'm a child!" I couldn't stand the way he treated me most of the time, always assuming that he knew what was best for my life. At first it had been flattering and sweet, the way he worried himself over me. Then it started to become restricting, with him trying to prevent me from talking to anyone he deemed to be "dangerous." Lying to me for my own "protection" and making me a passive participant in my own life… it was too much. He had been progressing, asserting his dominance as boyfriend-slash-warden for longer than I wanted to admit, and his latest behavior only reinforced that fact. But now, Edward was holding all the cards. He could easily dangle the Volturi over my head, and I would be powerless against him.

"Bella, I know you're upset with him, but he loves you! He's always done whatever he could to make you happy, and he wants to spend all of eternity with you. It's almost poetic! And besides, what could that mutt offer you that Edward couldn't?" She made a pouting face and sadly asked, "Don't you want to be my sister?"

Alice made it sound like I was being ungrateful. I was just sick of being pulled around by Edward's puppet strings. "It's not like that, and you know it," I cried, feeling suddenly on the defensive. "I feel like you all are my second family but I don't want to be… I can't be one of you. With Edward I can't be myself, he's always trying to keep me in this little fragile bubble. But when I'm with Jake…" I smiled without consciously choosing to, thinking of us as kids throwing sand at each other, of us as teenagers walking along our beach talking, of how he is the only one who knows how to make my world bright and alive.

"Alice," I confessed, turning to face her, "With Jake I can have a real life, grow old, have a ton of babies if we choose to. It's what Edward was saying he wanted for me, and now that I've decided it's what I want he changes his mind?"

She seemed unconvinced as she answered, "I can't live your life for you, Bella, so you have to do what makes you happy. I know Edward will be upset, to say the least, but if I have no choice in the matter I'll support you whatever you end up doing… or being." I couldn't tell if she was trying to manipulate me into staying with him or if she was just being honest about her thoughts.

"I _have_ made my choice. And actually… would you mind coming with me to give Edward back his ring? I don't want to be alone with him when I do it." I'd been fiddling with the oversized bauble since I had grabbed it on the way to Carlisle's car and I was anxious to be free of its weight. She gave me a look that said I was being crazy, that Edward would be calm about the whole situation.

"Don't look at me like I'm being dramatic, okay Alice? You didn't see the look in his eyes. I told Carlisle and I'm telling you, he wasn't himself, and he scared me." She said nothing but walked me over to Edward's room, arm in arm.

Edward was sitting stiffly upright on the couch glaring at the door as we appeared in the previously vacant air. He gave a self-satisfied smile that told me he anticipated that I'd be there to grovel at any moment. That he had expected it. "Come to make your amends, Bella love? Not to worry, I forgive you." He gave me a nefarious smirk. My blood boiled at his conceit, and rather than hand him the ring carefully and make some emotional apology about my change of heart as I'd planned, I angled slightly and threw it overhand out the open window as hard as I could, aiming for and coming into solid contact with the huge pine tree just outside. I heard it smack against the bark, clattering down the branches to the muddy earth below.

"Fuck you, Edward. Thank you for giving me just one more reason to believe I've done the right thing." Given the many unfortunate outcomes I was facing, all of them at his disposal, I realized all too late that my reaction was not exactly ideal. Even so, I stood there seething, my fists balled tightly at my sides. _Too late to take it back now._

He shook his head disapprovingly and wagged a finger at me. Speaking to Alice, but looking straight into my eyes, "Alice, do you see? What one day with that _dog_ will do? Tsk tsk… I just can't see how he's a good influence on her. Perhaps he needs to be eliminated from her life, hmm?" His cold, calm tone was giving me goose bumps and I felt a shiver begin its course down my neck. He stood up from the couch and took deliberate, slow steps toward me, his face unchanged; I could feel Alice pulling me firmly to her, which only increased my unease.

He was nose to nose with me before I saw him move, grabbing my face in his hand, painfully squeezing my jaw until tears squeaked out the corners of my eyes. "Is that any way to talk to your fiancé, love?" he growled.

Alice still had her arm fixed around me, afraid to pull me away from his tightening grasp for fear of injuring me further. Instead with wide, terror-struck eyes she yelled, "_Carlisle! Help!_"

"Edward, you're hurting me!" I managed to plead despite my restricted motion. _God, why did I throw his family heirloom out the window? Could I be any more stupid? _I was futilely trying to pry his hands off my face but it only served to anger him more, causing him to pinch and strangle my skin. He could crush me to dust if he wanted to, and so I pitifully remained there, Alice frozen in helplessness and me counting the seconds until my inevitable death. I closed my eyes. _Jake, I'm so sorry. I should have listened. _

I heard him before I saw him, a brief commotion preceding the pressure releasing off my face. "What are you doing, Edward? You could have killed her!" Carlisle's voice boomed loudly, echoing in the room. Edward was pinned down on the couch, Carlisle looming over him, furious. He looked to me and my flushed skin, "Alice, get her out of here, I'll deal with him." I rubbed the growing soreness of my face gently with my fingers, noticing the already swelling flesh. Looking back as I stepped beyond the room, I caught a glimpse of Edward with that same chilling smile ruining his lips, his eyes tracking me as I let Alice hurry me downstairs toward safety.


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you all for the wonderful reviews! I'm sorry this took so long but the holidays and everything were super busy. Without further ado, here is the next chapter. As always, none of these characters are mine.**

**Chapter Six**

"Bella, I'm sorry, I had no idea he would do something like that! He must have decided last minute," Alice apologized, her gift failing her.

"Yeah, like somewhere around the time I chucked the ring out the window like an idiot?" I mumbled, rubbing my face.

_Clink, clink, clink. _Alice grabbed ice from the freezer, piling the cubes in a towel for me to soothe my sore jaw.

"Obviously it wasn't the _best_ way to go about breaking your engagement… but he has no right to do what he did. He knows he has to be careful with you, and it was like he forgot himself," she looked at me, penitent, "I should have trusted you. It's just… I've never seen him so… irrational." It was clear that even though she had seen Edward's behavior, watched him step outside himself and into this devious person she couldn't recognize, she could barely believe it.

"Neither have I. I'm actually really worried about what he'll do now that I've decided to be with Jake. They hated each other already before, now what's going to happen?" Images from my dream flashed through my mind, Jake's lifeless eyes, and I shivered as a chill passed through me.

"I don't know, Bella, but hopefully he'll settle down and realize that this is what you want."

"Are we still talking about this? She wants to be a monster, just let her do it already," Rosalie's voice was acidic as she entered the kitchen. "I'll do it myself if it will stop everyone from crying about it."

Alice opened her mouth to answer when Emmett sauntered in behind Rosalie ogling her lasciviously as usual, before he turned his eyes to me. He wrapped his beefy arms around me in his customary greeting and I whimpered; he was squeezing the hard ice against my sore jaw. "Emmett, stop!" Alice ordered, before turning to Rosalie, "Why don't you just shut up sometimes, Rose? Bella broke off their engagement and when she told Edward… well, you can see for yourself." She gestured to my face and I lowered the ice, revealing the deep purple bruises in the shapes of Edward's fingers.

Emmett loosened his grip on my body and stepped back. Anger flooded both his and Rosalie's faces. "Edward did this to you?" he demanded, before connecting the dots. "Wait, was that all the yelling we heard from outside? I told you Rose, he's losing his shit. The fuck is wrong with that asshole…" he mumbled to himself.

I nodded, and sighed miserably. "I can't go back to Jake's looking like this but if I don't go he'll know something happened." I closed my eyes and held the ice back to my jaw. "He's going to be _so_ _pissed_. He told me not to come here in the first place. Carlisle assured him nothing would happen and now look."

Rosalie looked confused. "What do those mutts have to do with anything?" Apparently Edward really hadn't told them anything. He was seriously delusional. _Wonderful. Now I have to tell each member of his family personally that I had left him. Shit, shit, shit._

I was too worn out to be annoyed. "I've chosen to be human and live a life with Jake. I realized how important he was to me, that I love him. I don't want this anymore, to be one of you," I replied confidently, knowing how she felt about the subject. I glanced up at her and her face had softened just slightly, betraying her approval.

Her contempt wavered, and she almost smiled, "Good. You're making the right choice."

Alice piped up, "Well, it seems it isn't her choice at all actually."

"What are you talking about? Of course it's her choice, don't be stupid, Alice." There was the Rosalie I knew. I would have laughed if everything above my shoulders wasn't aching so horribly. Or if everything in my life hadn't recently become even more chaotic.

"According to my visions she still becomes one of us. Edward does it."

Emmett was confused. "So she changes her mind again? I don't get it."

"Honestly, I don't know how it all happens. All I see is Bella as one of us, regardless who she chooses. I don't know the other details, I wish I did." Alice looked at the ground, dismayed with her failings.

All three of them began talking faster than I could understand and I let myself tune them out, turning instead to my own thoughts. The longer I sat there the more I wanted to leave. I could feel an aching to be near Jake, only slight at first but as the seconds ticked away it grew larger until it nearly overwhelmed me. I felt almost like I was having an anxiety attack, my heart was racing and I could feel myself growing irritable. I interrupted them suddenly, "Alice, take me back to Jake's?" My voice came out more desperate than I had intended, but she didn't acknowledge it, just agreed and started to walk toward the door.

We walked in silence through the house, but I could hear Emmett and Rosalie whispering to each other as we departed. Suddenly there was thrashing upstairs and I jolted from the loud ruckus. Carlisle was commanding Edward to stay where he was and Edward was simply screaming my name, continuing to fight against Carlisle's strength.

Finally Edward appeared at the top of the banister, barely held back in Carlisle's arms. He was roaring at me, "Remember what I said, Bella! You are mine! Forever! Don't you ever forget that!"

Carlisle was yelling over him, "Go, Bella! Go now!"

Terrified, I ran from the house and into Alice's car, feeling as though Edward's breath was on the back of my neck and about to pull the life right from me.

The engine rumbled and she sped off toward Jake's, kicking up rocks from her wheels as she went.

**Jake's POV**

I watched Bella step into that leech's car like it was nothing. Meanwhile in the pit of my stomach I had a sinking feeling that something was going to go terribly wrong. I didn't trust any of them, and even beyond what my ancestors had led me to believe Edward had threatened Bella. I didn't want her there when something could so easily happen to her; she was so fragile. But she was also stubborn. There was nothing I could say; when it came to those leeches, she couldn't be reasoned with.

I glued my eyes to her the whole way down the road until the car had disappeared; I even listened until the sounds of the motor were out of range for my wolf ears. If I admitted it to myself it was because I didn't think she'd be coming back and I wanted to watch her for as long as I could. I had been through this before, her running to that leech while I console her when he fucks up, or when she changes her mind again for the hundredth time. I stood out there on my porch for who knows how long, just thinking about everything, letting all the facts and half-truths get muddied as they stewed together.

As much as I wanted to believe that what Bella had said this morning was true, I couldn't, at least not fully. She had chosen him before and I felt that deep down she was just feeling guilty about what happened to me, and she would eventually choose him again. It was only a matter of time before she fell back into his arms and I was left depressed and miserable, alone like always.

When she left to go to his house so eagerly, yeah, I was sure that was the last I'd see of her for a while. I knew how that asshole operated; Bella had told me all about him disabling her truck and forbidding her from me. She didn't have quite as many secrets as he thought; it was an unspoken rule between us that we didn't lie or keep things from each other. The one thing I refused to tell her was that I had imprinted on her that day in the clearing, and the guilt of it was nagging at me. I didn't want her overactive sense of responsibility over other peoples' choices to factor into anything we might have in the future. If it was going to happen at all, I needed it to be real.

Above happiness for myself I wanted it for her and if that leech was what made her happy, then I would deal with the situation as best I could. I could try to go on with my life, but from what I knew of Sam's thoughts about Emily, being without her long term just wouldn't be possible. If she chose him for real this time and became one of _them_, then maybe I would just…. Images of my own death flashed before me and I wondered for just a moment if that would be my answer. I couldn't live without her, that much I knew.

I sat on one of the wood rocking chairs on the porch and closed my eyes. My body was weaker than I thought, and my heavy heart weighed me down even more. _If she leaves me again, I'll die. _Embry had said as much when she left for Italy after seeing how I was without her. He and Sam were the only members of the pack that I'd told about the imprint, and only then did they understand my inability to function without her: lying in bed for hours on end, unable to eat, crying out her name in my sleep, my waking hours filled with a painful longing that only she would be able to ease. No, I wasn't telling her about the imprint unless I was sure she had made her choice for good. Then, depending on her I had my own choice to make. Only she could sustain my will to live. Without her I would either be essentially part of the _living_ dead, or be just… _dead_.

I allowed myself some satisfaction in my decision, knowing that she did not need to know about the path I'd travel without her. It was almost a relief to know that the whole situation was coming to a close, somewhat. I'd have a resolution to the biggest uncertainty about my life by the end of the summer. Either way, Bella was going to choose.

In the tranquil spring breeze, I relaxed into the shape of the rocker and took a deep breath. I hadn't slept at all last night, instead recalling the way Bella smelled, the sweetness to her voice, the kiss we shared. I could think of nothing else in her absence. I'd thought that she was gone to me permanently and was willing myself to want to live without her, but failing. It had been a long, hopeless night.

I must have dozed off because I found myself surrounded by that dream again, the same one I'd been having for weeks. Bella and I are in the woods at night and I'm trying to find her. I can hear her calling for me, panicked, but each time she says my name it's from a different direction. I'm turning and tangling my way through the forest trying to get to her but it's impossible. It's too dark and I'm too hyped on adrenaline to know anything but her voice. I hear a bone-chilling scream; I hear nothing but her screams, piercing and tortured, until finally I find her covered in blood writhing on the ground in agony. She opens her eyes for barely a second and they aren't brown anymore, they're golden like _his. _I stumble back in horror, any rational thought or remaining breath knocked out of me._ He_ appears, seemingly dropping from the sky, a confident smile on his lips and hatred burning in his eyes. I don't even fight him when he bares his fangs and begins to destroy me.


	7. Chapter 7

**Happy New Year everyone! Stella got her groove back and is back in the writer's seat! Well, sort of. This one's a shorter chapter than most but I think the break between this one and the next is in the best place. Enjoy!**

**Chapter Seven**

**Jake's POV **

I'd been making lunch for me and my dad, just a couple of sandwiches, when I thought I heard a car pull up in the driveway. I convinced myself that it was wishful thinking and kept about my business. Mustard on the bread, then the salami, then the cheese… and then I heard a door slam, followed by gravel being thrown around as a car peeled out of the driveway. What the hell?

I put down the knife I had in my hand and walked to the front door, opening it with a puzzled look on my face. My jaw dropped open in surprise. There was no car around, but there was someone walking toward my house... _Bella._ My face broke into a huge smile at the sight of her. She came back to me! Maybe I was wrong about everything. She hadn't stayed with the leeches after all. I was confused when she didn't smile back, she only looked worried and it took me one glance at her face to realize why.

"Call Sam! Tell him to get the fuck over here now!" I shouted to Billy as I bolted out the door. I ran to her side and stopped abruptly, inches from her, afraid to touch her lest she have more bruises elsewhere. The thought of that piece of shit touching her, bruising her, made me want his blood as his penance. Now. Right fucking now.

"What happened? Where else?" I gently held her face, examining the damage, willing away the fury that was building inside. I knew I had scared Bella with my reaction this morning to the mere implication of violence, but holding myself back when I was faced with this was almost too much. _If there's anything else wrong with her because of that asshole I am going to go over there and rip that fucker's head off before he even hears me coming, _I promised myself.

"Nowhere else, Edward grabbed my face and then Carlisle stopped him from doing anything other than that. Jake, I'm sorry, I should have listened to you," she cried as she pulled me to her and clutched me in her arms. I could feel her tears against my bare chest, and heard her sniffling quietly.

"Are you okay? Are you sure he didn't touch you or do anything else to hurt you? Can you tell me what happened before I lose my mind?" I was taking big heaving breaths to steady myself just to be able to talk about this without phasing where I stood.

"I'm fine, I swear, I'm fine. Let's go inside and we can talk, okay?" She sniffled and wiped the smudged lines from her face, looked up at me, and smiled weakly. "I feel much better now that I'm back here with you, actually."

Inwardly I whooped in celebration, outwardly I silently kissed her as sweetly as I could, hoping to counteract the injuries with a little tenderness. When I pulled back to look at her she shyly bit her lip and blushed that beautiful rosy hue. _God, I love this girl. _I linked our fingers together and took a few steps toward the porch. "Come on. Sam's on his way over."

**Bella's POV**

The knot that had been growing in my stomach was eased as soon as we came into view of Jake's house. I had no idea when I became so attached to him but it was as though I was missing a vital piece of myself when he wasn't around. He'd always been important to me but today was something more. The longer I was away the stronger the compulsion to return to him; he was invisibly pulling me back. I guess I could chalk it up to an emotional day and my need to feel safe, but even that seemed lacking.

When I confessed what had happened with Edward I had an immediate overwhelming need to hold Jake in my arms, remind myself that he'd always be there regardless of my faults; that he and I loved each other unconditionally. Just having him there, the feel of his strength against my frailty reassured me that this new trajectory of my life was the right one, the one designed by fate itself. We were a perfect balance to each other.

We walked into the little house together and entered the kitchen where evidently I had interrupted a meal in progress. I had to laugh at the sandwich assembly line set up on the counter, where six pairs of bread had been stacked and ready to go. "Hungry?" I teased.

"Always," he answered easily, walking up to the counter to continue his lunch. He hadn't yet let go of my hand, which I appreciated. I wasn't ready to be separated from him, not even by a few inches. "Want a sandwich or something? I have some leftovers in the fridge too if you want those."

"No, I don't think I could eat right now. Talking is bad enough," I admitted, gesturing to my face. Jake's jaw clenched but he said nothing, only squeezing my hand more tightly, raising it to his lips to kiss the back of it. I knew it was hard for him to keep his anger in but he'd promised not to scare me again and he was doing a stellar job so far given the circumstances. He wasn't one to break promises, part of the reason I loved and trusted him so much.

"Okay, so, tell me what happened. I think I could take a guess at how serious the threats were, so I'm not sure I need to hear what that psychic bloodsucker had to say," he observed, his voice not so subtly laced with hostility.

"I have no doubt in my mind that he's serious about everything he said. Before I could have excused him by saying he was angry and blind sighted, but what he did today… he wasn't himself. He threatened to 'eliminate' you from my life, all the while smashing my face in his hand, giving me this creepy sneer. I thought he was actually going to squish my head right there. I thought that was it; I said goodbye to you in my head and everything," I stated casually, still in shock. "I threw his ring out the window and said 'fuck you,'" I laughed, remembering.

Jake's eyes went wide in surprise. "You did? That's my girl," he encouraged, sweeping me into his arms. He lovingly placed feather-light kisses that mapped out the location of each bruised point, but he couldn't hide the pain in his expression when he looked at them head on.

"I don't think this is going to be the end of it, though. As I was leaving he was screaming at me that I was his forever and not to forget and… Alice still sees him changing me." Jake stilled his movement, his lips glued just below my cheek.

"You go back to him, then." It was more a statement of fact than a question, and he pulled his hands back stepping away from me. He inspected the wall just behind me with intense scrutiny. My heart burned from his absence and I felt the knot in my stomach pulse with sudden growth.

"Alice doesn't know any of the circumstances, she can only see that I'm changed and Edward is the one who does it. But Jake, I love _you_. I don't want to go back to him. I could barely stand to be away from you the short time I was over there," I pleaded, grabbing his hand and tugging him back into me. I felt instant relief at the contact. "And, I'll tell you something if you promise not to make fun."

"I can't do that, Bells," he warned, his tone serious. "But tell me anyway."

"When I was over at the Cullens', I had this weird feeling, like a panic attack sort of thing, and it was because I wasn't close to you. I felt… drawn to you. When Alice was driving she couldn't go fast enough for me to make the feeling go away either. It only went away when I was here, and I was able to physically touch you. Is that crazy?" I had possibly gone batty overnight. Saying it out loud made it sound even more insane.

"I am irresistible," he joked.

"So then yes, it is a little crazy," I conceded. I leaned into him, putting my head to his chest and closing my eyes to better hear his heart beating. I sighed, feeling like if I were able to crawl inside him and share the same skin it wouldn't be close enough. _He must think I am so needy and weird._

The door banged shut behind us and I saw Sam step into the room with nothing but shorts, indicating he'd run here in wolf form. With my back to him he hadn't yet seen the reason for his summoning but when I turned to face him his mouth settled into a taut white line. He didn't address it; he looked at Jake and ordered, "Pack meeting in ten minutes."

Minutes later everyone was assembled on Jake's front lawn, gawking at me. Jake was giving the rundown on what had happened since it still hurt to talk, and they all listened in stunned silence.

He'd finished explaining everything, and looked at me before continuing, "I suggest that we invalidate the treaty and destroy that piece of shit Cullen."


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm tired of putting these disclaimers on every chapter so I'm just gonna say this once more and let that cover me: I don't own these characters, I just make them act how they're supposed to. **

**Chapter Eight**

**BPOV**

Sam paused, weighing the option. "Jake, you know we can't do that. The treaty says that they have to bite a human and they haven't done that. Technically they haven't done anything wrong."

"So we need to wait until Cullen makes her one of them, huh? Are you fucking joking?" Jake seethed, "Look at her! All those marks on her face! This is only the beginning, I guarantee it. We need to do something!"

Sam maintained patience but Jake was pushing his limits with his alpha. "Listen, I'm sorry, but we can't start a war with the Cullens over Bella. We need to protect everyone, _all_ the people on the rez." Sam looked at me, "Sorry, Bella, it's nothing personal, but we need to look at the bigger picture here. In the meantime, Jake you can have some of your patrol shifts switched around to keep an eye on things but we aren't revoking the treaty."

I spoke up, "I understand, I don't want you guys to go through all this and cause more trouble around here." I added, "I think I've caused enough." I rubbed Jake's back consoling him. "You can just stay with me at Charlie's and if anything happens you'll be there."

"No, I can't, Bella. That's Cullen territory, and that would qualify me as breaking _our_ end of the treaty if I defended you there, remember?" Jake was exasperated with Sam and with the situation. Sam was tying his hands and he had no options. "You'll have to stay here. I'm not letting you out of my sight until this is resolved." He was firm in his conclusion, his mind made up.

"Jake," I argued, "I need to go home. What will Charlie say? And what about school? I can't just stay in your house forever." Even as I said it, I knew he would find it to be unacceptable. I didn't want to be alone, either. At least, not until I knew something had been done to make Edward understand that everything had changed. I didn't want him anymore and I wondered how I ever did. Was the caring persona just a façade? Did he truly believe that regardless what I wanted he could detain me as _his_ eternally? I remembered his possessiveness and his threats, and then imagined him sneaking into my room to change me under the cover of night. I would be defenseless against him, a lamb sent to slaughter. _Jake has a point and Edward's lost his damn mind._

He squeezed his eyes shut, the frustration evident in his face before running his hands roughly through his hair, growling. "So I'm supposed to just let her go back home and pretend nothing's wrong? Essentially leave her unprotected and wide open to anything those bloodsuckers want to do to her?" His voice raised several decibels, and Sam looked like he had finally hit his limit of Jake's defiance.

"They haven't broken the treaty! What do you want me to say?" Sam screamed.

Jake glared at Sam, and through gritted teeth he fumed, "Tell me you'd let Emily be in the same situation and not do a god damn thing. Tell me that you'd let her become a fucking leech in the name of keeping the peace with some piece of shit bloodsuckers. _Tell me that, Sam_."

Jake's eyes flashed in fury and indignation. He lowered his voice to a whisper and changed his tone, saying something imperceptible to my ears, quietly begging Sam to reconsider. I strained to hear but couldn't make out what he said; as I watched him go from ire to pleading, Jake's face said enough: he didn't want to lose me to Edward. "I don't want to break the treaty but I won't sit back and do nothing." It was clear that Jake wasn't giving in.

Sam paused, and Embry took the opportunity to voice his opinion, "Jake's right, man. Bella's one of the pack now. They fuck with her and they fuck with all of us." A chorus of "yeah" and "hell yes" went around the group.

Sam looked torn. I knew that Jake's argument about Emily had struck a nerve with Sam, which had caused him to reconsider. "Fine. You said the doctor leech is in charge? Get him to meet with us here tonight, and I'll demand to move the treaty lines to cover Bella's house. That way if they try and test us on this we have a legitimate reason to kick their undead asses." He smiled, caught up in the excitement at the possibility of some well-deserved corporal punishment.

The tension dissolved when Sam smiled and gave Jake some leeway with the situation. I was proud of Jake, and loved him even more for fighting so hard to protect me. Even in his kindest moments, Edward could never compare to Jake when it came to this. Jake had passion in his eyes when it came to me; Edward always held himself back, never allowing himself to fully express his feelings, and in turn his eyes were blank, unreadable. Except for the occasional hungry eyes, his irises black as pitch, I never knew what frame of mind he was in.

I pondered all of this as I watched Jake chattering animatedly with his friends, planning out what he would do to Edward if he were able. He pantomimed punches and kicks, laughing. I would normally be halfway home cursing Jake all the way for this type of talk but the Edward I had previously defended would never have hurt me and he certainly wouldn't have made threats against me. The Edward I thought I knew doesn't exist. I knew I would someday mourn his loss, but that day was not today. Instead I was thankful for Jake and his sincerity, imprint be damned. I even gave myself permission to crack a smile when Embry mocked a stake through Jake's heart, followed by Jake dramatizing a noisy, comical death in the grass.

**JPOV**

I knew what I'd done to Sam wasn't fair, playing the imprint card. I hoped Bella hadn't heard when I whispered my last hope to him in trying to get him to consent to some protection for her. He was unrelenting until I reminded him of the imprint situation and how I had been without her. _At least now I could make a move if that asshole tried to hurt her again, and oh what a move it would be_, I grinned to myself with satisfaction at the thought. I'd love to put a few marks on _his_ smug face, and somehow I didn't think contusion-purple was his color.

I spent a few minutes with the guys, acting out our aggressions on each other, relieving some of the stress of the day. Bella was still there, she hadn't stalked off in her usual fit of temper; she was instead chuckling along with us in our silliness. It gave me a little more confidence, and I allowed her more space in my heart than she already occupied. Maybe this was for real, _us_. I had a sudden urge to kiss her the moment the thought passed through my mind.

"Alright, enough of this kid stuff," I joked, giving some final punches to Seth and Embry. "I'll give you all a call when I know what time Dr. Fang will be here." Bella gave me a slap on the arm, and I remembered she hated the terms I'd been spewing just before when talking to Sam. The rest of the pack waved their goodbyes, phased and headed back home to wait for my call. I turned to her, picking her up and bringing her level with my face.

"Sorry, Bells, did I do something to upset you?" I asked innocently.

"Jacob Black, you know exactly what you did. You know I don't like you using those names for the Cullens. I get that you hate Edward and I'll even let it slide that you must have said leech or bloodsucker about a thousand times today. But please, for my sake, keep it to a minimum?" She looked at me with those soft brown eyes and I knew I couldn't refuse her, regardless what she asked. She was practically telling me to defy my nature but still I agreed.

"Okay, okay… I'll make an attempt at watching what I say but all bets are off when it comes to you-know-who." I raised my eyebrows pointedly.

She rolled her eyes and huffed. "Fine, it's a deal. Now would you mind putting me down, I really have to get home and start on dinner for Charlie."

I placed her back on the ground delicately. "No problem. What's for dinner?" I rubbed my stomach and licked my lips, exaggerating hunger.

"You're coming for dinner?" She looked hopeful, her eyes lit up and a small grin formed on her pink lips.

"Of course, were you not here for the blowout I had with Sam? I wasn't kidding Bells, I'm not letting you out of my sight. If you ask me, the treaty's bullshit and I'll do what I have to do to keep you safe. I'm not letting a repeat of _this_ happen," I said, placing gentle kisses on her swollen cheek.

"My knight in shining armor," she giggled, walking toward her truck. "Let's go then, I'll call Alice on the way and tell her about the meeting. She'll let Carlisle know when to be here."

**BPOV**

The house was empty as I expected when we arrived, and I whisked around turning on all the lights. I felt an unnatural chill in the air and I was sure it was all in my head. The rationalization didn't stop me from flicking all the switches on the lamps and running up Charlie's electric bill though. I had the same hair-raising, goosebump-y feeling that I got after watching a horror movie, where the only defense to a monster attack was to illuminate every corner of the room. It was sort of ironic, all the real monsters I knew in my life and I was only scared of the movie ones, at least until now.

"I just need to get this casserole in the oven and I'm all set until it's time to eat," I said, slowly turning to face Jake. He'd been watching me as I worked from his seat at the table; I could feel his gaze on my back, practically burning a hole right through me.

"Whatever will we do until then?" Jake implored suggestively, sliding himself closer, nuzzling his nose along my jaw and letting his hot tongue trail down my neck. My pulse raced and I relived this morning's kiss in my memory. I licked my lips in anticipation, the heat in my core growing.

"I suggest more of this," I breathed and closed my eyes, enjoying the sensations of Jake's mouth on me. He smiled against my shoulder as he bit down lightly, the pain mingling with the pleasure. I hissed and commanded him not to stop.

He kissed and licked his way across my collarbone and back up my neck on the other side, causing my breathing to become erratic. The same desire for him washed over me as this morning, and I gradually backed out of the kitchen toward the stairs.

"Let's go to my room," I beckoned, increasing the space between us, grasping his hands and biting my lip seductively. Dropping his hands I reached to undo the buttons on my shirt, enticing him, watching as his eyes grew more lustful the more skin I revealed.

His breathing hitched when the last one was opened, and I fully divulged Victoria's black lace secret. He swallowed hard and exhaled, reaching out for me as I continued to back away. I was enjoying this too much, the thrill of the chase, and with a devious smile I made a dash for the steps to my room. I flung my shirt in his face as he followed quickly after me. I heard his heavy steps just behind me and I shrieked in delight, knowing full well he would catch me before I made it to my door.

"Bells, you just wait," he warned, his eyes narrow and predatory.

At the top of the steps his strong hand grabbed my waist, restraining me as his lips descended upon my shoulder, my neck, the shell of my ear. My arm reached behind his neck and up through his hair, grabbing hold and pulling him closer. He groaned and kissed me with increased need, fluttering hot air against my skin.

I turned and wound my arms up his chest and around his back, still pressing our bodies together, seeking out his lips for mine. Our tongues met and I tasted the sweetness of him, and I pulled his lower lip gently nipping it with my teeth. He pinned me up against my door, his hands roaming over my stomach and up my back. Moaning softly I willed him further, his fingers like fire over me, spreading the building heat within my core. Fumbling with the doorknob I finally gained us access to my room, the door swung wide and ricocheted back after colliding loudly with the wall.

"Oops," I chuckled, and reached back up to him.

I shivered with a cool blowing breeze and my eyes flew open as I spun around. Petrified, I knew what I would find. My heart stopped as my gaze landed on an enraged Edward Cullen, silently watching the entire scene unfold.

**Please review! I really appreciate everything you guys have to say! Thanks!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Welcome back faithful readers! Hope you don't mind the profanity in this chapter but as you can imagine Jake's pretty fired up. Enjoy! Don't forget to R&R!**

**Chapter Nine**

**JPOV**

_Sweet Jesus, I'm dreaming. Don't blink, this is a dream... _I was captivated by Bella, her hands moving deliberately and painstakingly slow over herself, undressing in front of me. She was letting me watch. She _wanted_ me to watch. Has she always been this little vixen? My hand grew a mind of its own and I reached out to her determined to find out, aching to touch her exposed flesh, unable to detach my eyes from those beautiful curves. With a flash of a mischievous smile she took off running like a deer in the forest. _She wants to play that game, _I smirked, _big bad wolf and little red riding hood._

Bounding up the steps she tossed her shirt at me and I caught it by the collar, grimacing at the smell. _Leech._ She had spent some time with the blood suckers and they had rubbed off on her, ruining her natural scent with their pungent odor. I'd had that funk in my nose since she'd come back, and she'd been too upset for me to mention it to her but I'd been silently wishing she'd shower and wash it all away, replacing it with the strawberries and vanilla that drove me crazy. I'll be honest, she wasn't exactly showering alone when I played it out in my head; I readily joined her and things were fairly dirty before we got to any business involving getting clean.

I flung her shirt to the floor in favor of snagging her tiny waist, which I caught just in front of her room. I pulled her to me, a hunter with his captured prey, too enamored with her to stop myself from wishing to kiss her everywhere, and started to do just that. I could smell her arousal and it only spun me further, ignoring the part of my brain that cautioned me to take things slow.

_It really reeks up here, what a mood killer_, I thought, and tried to ignore it_. _I hadn't been up to her room in a while and I could remember the last few times I'd had to hold my breath part of the time to keep the stinging stench from tearing at my nose. I momentarily considered pissing in a corner to mark my territory and improve the scent of the room, and almost laughed out loud at the thought. _Maybe I'd let the wolf have a little too much control._

I concentrated on avoiding the stink that swirled around us, tainting this perfect moment. Bella's amazing silky-soft skin against my fingers, _so_ much softer than I thought it would ever be, and I'm making a concerted effort to acquaint myself with all of it, every sensuous inch. I drank her in as though my thirst could not be quenched. I would never tire of this, of her… My brain quit functioning about the time I tentatively pressed a palm to her breast. _She moaned at me, oh god, _and I about died right there at the top of the landing with my mind in the gutter and one hand on her ass.

I halfheartedly made a deal with myself to pause for some rational thought, _Does she want to do this? Maybe we should stop? Okay, I'll keep going and let her tell me when to stop. Fuck, I don't want to stop, please don't ask me to stop… _My hand brushes the clasp of her bra and I'm stalled there slipping my fingers beneath it, debating with myself whether or not to do what I hope she wants me to do. Next thing I know she's pulling me into her room and I'm still thanking the spirits for my good fortune as I tangle my tongue with hers. _Okay_, I decide, _that's in the affirmative._ _But wait, something's wrong. Something's horribly, terribly wrong. That smells way too strong to be…_

Before I can complete the thought I'm being strangled up against the wall and Bella's screaming; using all the weight in her body she is literally hanging from Edward's arm trying to release some of the pressure on my rapidly closing throat. I struggle and am able to gain a few gulps of precious air but he's pissed and stronger than I realized, and he'd attacked me by surprise. I don't have a chance against him in human form. I need to phase. I need to _breathe_.

"Get your filthy paws off my fiancée, you disgusting mutt! I heard all the depraved things you were thinking about and if you think for one _second_ I'll let you continue stealing what's mine you're exceedingly incorrect."

"_Edward stop! Let him go!_" Tears are streaking down Bella's face as she shrieks in panic.

"I told you I would eliminate him from your life, didn't I, love? You shouldn't be so surprised." He's speaking to her as calmly as if they are discussing the weather and I don't know whether to be relieved at his evenness or concerned that he's more unstable than I thought.

He strengthens his hold on my throat and continues explaining, "Have a look, love. I told you he was a bad influence. You didn't listen to me, and now he's going to die. Perhaps you'll listen to me in the future. I'm going to squeeze the last breath from his pathetic usurping self, and _you_ are going to watch. _You did this_." He clucks at her in disapproval, and then trains his eyes on mine. "If only you'd listened."

I'm working uselessly against the choke hold he's got me in, but I can't phase with Bella right here without injuring her for sure. She's too close and I refuse to put her in danger even at my own expense. She's at my side pulling on Edward's arms and wearing herself out, but he's barely budging.

"_Please! Edward, stop please! I'll do whatever you want just let him go!" _The intensity in her pleas is increasing the longer I'm up against this damn wall and I'm using all my human strength just to keep some oxygen circulating. I can't leave her alone with this cracked asshole. He put his hands on her in front of his family and I can't take any chances with her. I'm more worried for her safety than I am about my own. I concentrate on her face; the motivation to keep her safe becomes the air I need to breathe. Even though spots of color are blooming in front of my eyes indicating I'm moments from passing out, I am hoping this isn't the last image I see of her. I hate it when she cries.

"You're going to do what I want anyway, Bella. I can't trust you to make the right decisions so I'll be with you always, from now on. You just don't know how to keep yourself _safe_!"

At the emphasis of his words he slaps her hard across the face sending her reeling head first into the dresser, where she collapses into a lifeless slump. And that's the push I needed. _Mother fucker, you have no idea what you've just done. I'm going to fucking end you right here._

The sight of Bella, _my Bella, you asshole,_ being slapped into unconsciousness by this colossal douchebag releases the last of the adrenaline into my blood and now I'm blind with rage. I unleash every ounce of fury within my limbs as I kick him off of me, sending him bouncing onto the bed and tumbling over the far edge, landing with a thump to the hardwood. It was my turn for a sneak attack and in his arrogance he wasn't expecting this. Before he recovers himself I am on top of him, yanking him up by his shirt and tossing him like a limp rag doll out the open window.

I phase as soon as we are clear of the house and we hit the ground with an unnatural crunch. Immediately I call to the pack for help, as Edward takes off running through the woods. I'm hot on his trail and am salivating for the impending snap of his body in my teeth.

_Someone, anyone, get over to Bella's now! Edward's here and I'm chasing him back through the woods behind her house but I need some backup here!_

Embry is the only one to respond, _Oh crap! I'm on my way over, I'll be there in two minutes! Don't hurt him, you remember what Sam said about the treaty! _

_ I don't give a shit about the treaty, he knocked her unconscious! _I pushed the visual of the scene through my mind to Embry.

_ Shit are you serious! _I can feel his anger grow in tandem with my own and we narrow down the gap between us. _Jake, I got a lead on his trail; you should get back to Bella and make sure she's alright. She's there alone and, uh, you don't want anyone to walk in and find her, ya know, like that._

_ Like what? Oh, shit... Embry… Not. One. Word. _I'd forgotten that the whole thing went down with her in just her jeans and bra. I didn't intend for him to see that much. He's right though, as much as I want Edward's dead flesh torn in pieces she's there alone, so I turn on my heels and make a 180 back to Bella's.

_Yeah man, of course. _I can hear him howling our distress call in the distance.

_No one else is phased?_

_ Nah, everyone's back at Sam's waiting for the vamp meeting later. I'm the only one doing patrol right now. _

_ Alright listen I'm back at Bella's. Let everyone know what happened, I'm phasing back. Don't let that fucker get away! _With my parting warning I do a leap up the tree and through her bedroom window.

"Bella?" She is still in a heap by the corner, unmoving. "Bells, wake up! Baby, please wake up," I beg, taking hold of her limp body and laying her gently on the bed.

Her head hits the pillow and a strong wind blows through the room, shifting the curtains in their place. Either the change in position or the cold breeze has taken effect on her, and her eyes flutter open.

"Jake," she slurs, still groggy.

"Yeah, Bells, I'm here. I'm here." My heart threatens to leap from my chest, between the exertion of the chase and my relief that she's awake.

"What… Edward," she says as her eyes go darting straight for the open window.

"He's gone. Just keep still, you hit your head pretty hard," I soothe, caressing her face with one hand, clasping her hand in my other. "We should go to the hospital and make sure you don't have a concussion or something." She groans, and I know she's going to try and convince me not to go. "Bells, getting knocked out by a leech is pretty serious."

Her brow furrows and she makes a grimacing unhappy face, turning slightly to look at me. "Jake, how did you get yourself out of that? I thought you were dead," she whispers, looking concerned that this might just be her imagination on overdrive, and when she wakes up I'll really be gone.

"He hit you and I lost my fucking mind. You were unconscious in the corner there and there was no way he was getting away with hurting you a second time," I reassured her as I played with a lock of her soft hair, remembering her fighting against him for me and a fresh wave of love crashed over me. I shift my weight to my arms hovering over her, and press my lips to hers, recognizing fully that I would be incomplete without her. I lean my forehead against hers, and whisper the effervescent words in my heart, "I love you, Bells."

Her smile is dream-like when she snakes her arms behind my neck and pulls me in, skin to skin, "I love you, Jake."

I'm so lost in her, wrapped up in the warming blanket of love and the feel of our lips moving together that I don't even notice the lingering fog of scent left in Edward's wake. Forget all about before… _This_ is the perfect moment.

**Let me know what you think!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry guys, I really didn't intend for this to take so long but I ran into some writer's block, then my MBA classes started back up for the spring semester. I'm soooo sorry! It's a bit busy around here! Much thanks to my reviewers, you guys have no idea how inspired I get when I see those little alerts. So, I'm getting to a point where I have a couple ideas where this could go (and some others that are definitely going to happen) so if you want to see something happen let me know!**

**Anyhow, enjoy!**

**Chapter Ten**

**BPOV**

I thought I heard someone talking but it's almost like I'm in a fishbowl and the sounds are muffled. I barely possess enough energy to open my eyes but I force the lids up and the relief that floods over Jake's face is substantial. My head is pounding, and I remember dimly how I've obtained such a splitting headache.

Right now all I want is to feel safe again. Jake is here, I know intrinsically that I am protected, always. The heat of him next to me is warming the life back into me, cell by cell I am filled up whole by his radiating love. But as close as he is it isn't nearly as close as I need him to be and so I make a sleepy grab for him, using all the strength that remains in my arms to press him to me. I swear I feel electricity pulsing through me the moment our skin comes into contact and it simultaneously excites and relaxes me.

I hear shouting outside my window and my heart drops, thinking Edward has come back to finish what he started. I seize Jake's hand as he lazily stretches his legs and stands. _Oh my goodness…_ Gasping sharply, I notice for the first time that Jake is stark naked in my bedroom, practically on top of me and I can feel my face go from pale to beet red.

He notices my incredulous gaze and I know he's caught me staring, unwilling to shield my own eyes from the sight before me. I've only seen naked guys in museums or art books so I am truly and completely shocked and I'm unsuccessfully commanding my brain to shift my eyes away. But yet there _it_ is, and good lord, between that and his herculean physique I'm breathless. My hand twitches as a thought enters my mind momentarily, _I wish I could touch it…_ But then I am internally scolding my boldness and throw my arms over my face.

"Ahem!" He laughs, his voice rousing me and causing me to be properly embarrassed instead of awestruck as I was. His hands move to cover, some of but not nearly entirely, his nudity for my sake. My eyes snap to his face and I try to recover some of my dignity.

"Why are you naked?" I demand, feeling the heat in my face, knowing I am the only one in this room unnerved by the situation, which makes me more uncomfortable.

"I phased on the run and ripped apart the stuff I was wearing before." I can feel him eyeing me, contemplating, "What's the matter, you like what you see?"

"Jake!" I give him a warning. I am never looking him in the face, ever again.

He snickers loudly, clearly amused, "Okay, relax. Embry and Paul are here, I'm going outside anyway so you can open your eyes. I know you want to," he sings, drawing out the "o" in his words.

"Jacob Black, you have exactly two seconds before I snap a picture of this on my cell phone to send to Charlie."

"You win, Bells. You might want to put a shirt on before the guys see you, though." He leaps out the window and I hear him laughing all the way down and it echoes up through my room.

Grumbling, I ease myself up and gingerly rub my head, finding the lump that is sure to be the source of my pain. I spot my favorite t-shirt in a pile on the desk that's been sitting there since laundry day, still waiting to be put away in the dresser. Pulling it over my head I shuffle downstairs to meet the guys out behind the house.

Taking slow, measured steps downstairs which helps combat the dizziness I'm feeling, I smell the burnt casserole before I reach the bottom. A rising cloud of smoke has filled the downstairs thanks to the blackening remains of my dinner. I wrinkle my nose as I remove it from the oven, glancing at the clock. Charlie's a half hour late.

Before I head outside to see what the news is about Edward, I dial the station and Charlie picks up after three rings.

"Chief Swan," he answers, using his "official business" voice.

"Dad, hey. Why are you still at work?"

"A hiker was attacked and I'm trying to figure out what happened, send some people out there to investigate it, get all the paperwork in order. You know how it goes. Looks like it's going to be a late night. Sorry, Bells, I should have called. Hope I didn't ruin your dinner," he apologizes. I guess it's just as well that the casserole is beyond repair.

"No, don't worry about it, I actually burned the casserole I made. I just lost track of time I guess," I lie, feeling a pang of guilt before I realize that it's mostly accurate, technically speaking.

"Bells, do me a favor and stay in the house tonight, okay? Or maybe why don't you ask Jake to come over? It was probably just an animal or something but we aren't sure so I don't want you out if there's some lunatic running around town and - "

"How about I go over to his house? I don't have dinner here so I'll just eat there, and I'll stay the night so I won't be alone. Uh, since you'll be working," I interrupt, seeing my opportunity.

Silence, as he contemplates, and then, "Yeah, that's fine. Just call when you get there alright?" He hesitates just a moment and then adds, suspicious, "Billy will be there won't he?"

"Yes, dad. Billy will be there." I roll my eyes, but I've eased his fears of my possible corruption and he lets me off the phone without further questioning. I do however receive several warnings reminding me to be careful, lock any and all doors, and be alert. If only he knew about the real monsters in this town and how useless locks are it would turn his world on end.

Everyone is serious when I finally join them out back by the woods. Any traces of Jake's good humor are gone, replaced by worry lines in his forehead and intensely watchful eyes. I purposely keep my eyes trained on his face, mentally blocking anything below the waist that might tempt my nervous glances.

"What is it?" I edge up to them slowly.

Embry shakes his head, "Nothing. Sam's just pissed about the treaty,"

"And Embry lost Deadward," Jake adds, giving Embry a laser glare that could cut steel.

"I told you I'm sorry. I lost his scent and Sam ordered me to stop anyway so it's not like it matters," Embry shrugged angrily, kicking the tree beside him.

We all ponder the night's events in momentary silence, looking at anything but each other. I'm absolutely not looking in Jake's direction thanks to Jake Junior still being unabashedly on display. It really amazes me how he can be so comfortable with his body like that. I mean, he is in obscenely amazing shape but still. He's naked. In my backyard. With a crowd of people. Thank god Charlie's not here because I'd have a heck of a time explaining what three half-naked boys are doing in my yard at night.

I break the silence, "I told Charlie I'm staying in La Push tonight. The meeting with Carlisle is in an hour so you guys want to get going?"

Jake's relief is palpable as we agree to get moving. The fastest way to get back would be to run, with me on his back. I'm used to the speed because of Edward running with me from time to time but having to hold on and keep myself in place is frightening.

"Bells, you think I'd let you fall off? I'll go slow until you're used to it and then we'll go faster alright? Besides, you know you want to ride me," he jokes, waggling his eyebrows suggestively, and Embry and Paul snicker together at the edge of the woods.

"Jacob Black!" I yelp, flushing absolutely from head to toe. "I have no idea what's come over you but you need to take it down a few notches, Casanova."

"I know exactly what's come over me, and her name is Bella Swan. I'm just happy to be able to say that you're all mine, honey," he punctuates with a kiss. "And you're going to be in La Push where you should be so I can protect you like the big strong man I am." He flexes a bicep for proof of his manly abilities and crooks his arm around my shoulder, pulling me for a close embrace. "Seriously though, I'm glad you're going to be staying with me at least for tonight. I don't trust those lee-, I mean, the Cullens."

"They won't let Edward run loose and wreak havoc on Forks or on me. I think in all honesty they're just as surprised about his change of character as I was. Edward's unpredictable right now but the rest of them, they're the same as they've always been."

"How can you say that after everything that's happened? Just please do me a favor, don't spend any time alone with them right now? Even if you think you trust them, please, for me, just wait until I or one of the pack can go with you." He must have noticed my irritation because he hastily added, "Temporarily."

"Fine."

"Fine?" he asked, suspiciously.

"Yes, that's fine. You asked instead of demanding like Edward would have done. And it just so happens that I agree with you on this one, so I won't go over there alone, at least for now."

"Well that was easier than I thought it was going to be but I'm not complaining." He glances at Paul and Embry who are already in wolf form, and directs, "You guys go on, we'll be behind you. Keep an eye out for the bloodsucker, and we'll meet you guys at my house in a few minutes?" They nod and take off, leaving us alone.

"Alright, honey, just jump up when I lean down and grab hold as tight as you can. Like I said I'll start slow. You'll be fine." He pecks me quickly on the lips and takes a few steps back to give himself the room he'll need to phase. In the blink of an eye he's furry and I follow his instructions and settle myself comfortably on his back.

He starts off with a few tentative steps and despite myself I'm reassuring him that he can go faster. The wind in my hair is exhilarating, and it's so much different than when Edward used to run with me. This is so much more amazing, and I'm not getting motion sick as usual. Everything is whipping by in a blur and Jake manages to avoid every tree, bush, and leaf in the woods. I feel so completely safe up here; then again I shouldn't be surprised. It's Jake. I feel as protected as I ever have when I'm around him.

We arrive at his house quicker than I thought we would, and are greeted by the rest of the pack waiting on Jake's porch. Sam is standing on the step with his arms crossed in front of his chest and a scowl on his face. Embry and Paul are looking penitent, eyes cast down to the ground. I can feel the tension in the air before Jake is even back to human form.

I jump down to the ground and give a hesitant wave to everyone, receiving only a nod from a few of the guys. Leah ignores me as per her usual greeting.

Sam is the first to break the anxious silence, "Jacob, I thought I made myself clear. What the hell were you thinking chasing one of the Cullens after I specifically said the treaty wasn't to be broken?"

"He had me up against a wall, Sam! He attacked me!"

"You knew you were in their territory, but then you call your brothers to back you up after I said to leave it alone!"

"This is bullshit!" Jake yelled, getting into Sam's face. "He said he was going to kill me and he hit Bella! This treaty shit is getting old, there need to be some serious fucking changes. I won't stand by just because he _technically_ hasn't broken the treaty!"

"Yes, Jacob, you will! You will respect the treaty!" Sam locked eyes with Jake and the rest of the pack cowered slightly at the alpha command.

Jake looked defiant as he answered simply, "No."

Every pair of eyes snapped to Jake in shock. He looked as surprised as the rest of us. Sam was rendered speechless and his mouth fell open. After a moment, his mouth settled into a relaxed line, and he placed his hands in his pockets. Without a hint of sarcasm, he finally spoke, almost sounding amused.

"Okay then. Have it your way. What's the plan… Alpha?"

**Again, sorry this took so long to put up. I'm sure most of you have forgotten all about this story in my hiatus! Anyhoo, R&R please!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Thanks again to all my faithful readers. I love hearing what you have to say, so a big thanks to the reviewers & all the silent lurking readers. I think I prefer writing from JPOV, he's more fun and, sort of realistic, in the way he processes his thoughts. I frequently find myself thinking in expletives! I probably have one coming up from BPOV and maybe EPOV, depending on how the story flows. Would you guys have any interest in seeing EPOV? If you'll hate it I won't bother, so lemme know!**

**Chapter 11**

**JPOV**

"A-alpha?" Shit, what have I just done. "Sam, I take it back. I can't do this. I can't be alpha. I didn't mean to do that."

"Jacob, it's time. It's too late to take it back now; once it's done it's done. The only way you can stop being alpha now is to stop phasing completely. I've already talked to the council; you have their blessing. And actually we're all surprised it took this long." He smiled; Sam wasn't even mad. This is insane!

"Come on, this is stupid. _You're_ alpha!" I tried insisting, hoping there was some way I could get the words back into my mouth as if they'd never been said at all. Pretend this never happened. I can't do this!

"Jacob, _you_ are alpha now. It's in your blood. It was only a matter of time." He walked over and clapped me on the back, as if this were a good thing. It was anything but, if you ask me. I hadn't wanted this shitty werewolf life in the first place and now I'm responsible for every one of them? If something happened it was my job now. If someone got hurt, or worse… I gulped. I'm so fucking screwed.

"Sam, I'm not ready." I looked into the eyes of my friend, my mentor_. I feel like I might be sick._

The way he looked at me, with that complete confidence made me feel better if only slightly. I still couldn't imagine being the one in charge. I felt a tiny ember of a growing sense of pride and almost contentment, as if this was how it was supposed to be. Jake the wolf was celebrating but Jake the man was shaking in his boots. Damn it, why did I have to defy an alpha command?

"Yes, you are. You're going to make your ancestors proud. Trust me. I'll be here to help you as long as you need me to but Jacob, this is your destiny. It's time you accepted it."

It was starting to feel real, like I could do this. Sam always knew what to say to calm everyone down and make them see the best way to handle a situation. I hope I can learn to be that supportive and be the strength my pack needs. My stomach settled a little, no longer churning uncomfortably. I gave Sam a nod, and felt a smile grow on my face.

As Sam turned back around to face everyone, they whooped and yelled. They seemed excited about this too. It made me feel better to know I had their support. Even Leah looked happy. I realized Bella had been standing behind me and I wanted to find out what she thought about all this. In one look I knew exactly what was going on in her mind.

"Congratulations, alpha!" She laughed and looked at me with pride reflected in her expression. The light in her eyes danced with genuine happiness.

"So you're okay with this?" She always surprised me with her easygoing nature. I guess I always knew she'd be fine with me being alpha but I halfway expected that there would come a time when she would reach her limit and freak out. We've always said it about her, she's good with weird.

"Of course, silly. Sam's right, it's your destiny, Jake."

"Thank you, Bells."

"May I make a suggestion, alpha?"

I chuckled and answered, "Sure, sure."

She moved in a step and a blush rose to her cheeks as she motioned me to come closer. I leaned down to better hear her and she whispered confidentially, "Put on some pants." She pulled back, a wide grin spread across her face. The rest of the pack broke up into loud laughter and started harassing me immediately.

"Yeah, alpha, put your beta away would you?" Quil joked. I slapped him on the back of the head as I headed inside to grab a pair of shorts. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

We'd all settled down by the time we were supposed to meet those bloodsuckers. It had been decided that we'd meet at the treaty line since it was the closest we'd come to a neutral ground for all of us. I was nervous, as it would be my first real action as the new alpha of the pack. I seriously didn't want to lose my cool and screw up. I knew everything that had happened in the past few days and the threat of them hurting Bella was foremost in my mind. Her safety was paramount; if something happened to her the wolf would recognize the pain from its imprint and the whole pack would suffer. Before, just as a part of a pack it was important she was safe so that I'd be able to focus, but now as alpha the whole pack would feel it too if something bad happened. I knew I'd have to tell everyone about the imprint, the sooner the better.

On the way over to the treaty line with Bella on my back, I broke the news to them all. I relived the memory of the meadow with that leech who almost took her from me. I felt the imprint almost as if it were new, the pull to her and the unconditional love I felt. Honestly it wasn't much different from how I felt about her in the first place so I was almost confused if it had happened or not. After talking about the whole thing with Sam I knew it had really happened, and at the time all I could feel was relief. I took comfort in the fact that at least I had imprinted on the girl I truly loved, and didn't need the werewolf voodoo to tell me who my soulmate was. I already knew. I had known for as long as I could remember. Back then the only one who didn't know was Bella herself. _Stubborn girl._

Paul was the first to react to the news of the imprint. _Have you sealed the bond yet?_ He flashed through his memories of the process as he'd completed it with my sister, Rachel. Them both naked and obviously enjoying some _alone time_, then he marked her as they both cried out.

_Paul! Jesus, I don't need to see that shit! That's my sister, man. Not cool! _If Bella hadn't been on my back I would have lunged at his face. Honestly, sometimes he just didn't know when to keep his mouth, or his mind, shut.

_Well, did you? _Seth asked.

_No, not that it should matter to any of you. _ I rolled my eyes. I'd felt a slight urge in my gut when Bella and I had been messing around in her house. I _did_ want to mark her, or should I say the wolf did. I didn't want to have to bite her, even for me it was too weird. I had a pretty good idea that would be the point where Bella would run screaming.

Y_ou should talk to her about it. _Of course that was from Sam, the voice of reason. _You need to complete the imprint in order to fully ascend to the alpha position. Once you do that the rest of the pack will be able to draw strength from you, but not until the wolf is satisfied with the imprint._

_ I will, I just need to find a way to explain it other than saying I'm going to chomp on her with sharp, wolfy teeth. God, it even sounds messed up._

_Grow a pair, would you? _Leah scoffed.

_Shut up, Leah. What a lady you are. Really classy._

She barked a laugh. _What can I say, I was raised by wolves._

_ She's got you there, Jake._ Embry agreed with a rumbling chuckle.

The smell of leech burned in my nose and the pack gave a collective instinctive growl. Bella soothed me by playing with my fur as we slowed to a stop by the treaty line. All the leeches were in attendance with one noticeable exception. I had a bad feeling about it. It wasn't that I wanted to see him and actually had been trying to talk myself down on the way over here in case he did something stupid. Him not being there actually made me feel more uneasy than if he'd been threatening me to my face.

The pack approached as a unit, all of us phased back into human form. Sam was on my right, then Embry and Quil, with Paul, Leah, Seth, and Jared behind me on my left. It felt strange not to be in the ranks with the rest of them behind Sam, but it also felt right. I grasped Bella's hand tightly and stood protectively in front of her, slightly blocking her from the leeches' view. I felt her tense up as we moved closer to the leeches, and that only irritated me further, remembering what happened today. _Damned dirty bloodsucking leeches. _

"Where's the other one?" I demanded, glaring at them all one by one. None of them revealed a hint, their faces expressionless.

"Given the circumstances, it is probably best that Edward is not in attendance for this." Carlisle responded, glancing between Sam and me, trying to placate us. His head quirked to the side as he understood the new dynamic of the pack. "Jacob, I see you are now alpha? Ephraim would be – "

I cut him off before he could continue, holding up my hand. "Don't speak about my family. We're not here for that." Blondie rolled her eyes and huffed. Bella jabbed me in the rib with a finger as a reminder to relax. I turned to see her giving me a disapproving look. I took a breath and then continued, getting to the point at once, "The treaty needs to be amended to include Bella's house as Quileute territory. This is non-negotiable; we were ambushed and attacked there by Edward, so I need to be able to protect her there."

"Ambushed? What do you mean?" Clearly Dr. Fang had no clue but the pixie shifted on her feet, and I caught the emotion on her face briefly before she collected herself. It was guilt, I was sure of it. My eyes narrowed at her and I put her on the spot.

"Why don't you ask the psychic back there? I have a feeling she knows." I pointed at her, identifying her like a criminal in court.

"Jake, stop it, if Alice saw anything she would have said something. Tell them, Alice," Bella scolded, stepping forward. I growled quietly, keeping her hand firmly in mine. No way I was letting her get any closer than she was, especially now that I got the feeling they were keeping something to themselves.

"Bella, I…" The pixie started to respond but looked at the ground instead. _Yup, guilt._ I would have been smugly satisfied with my discovery if I weren't equally pissed off.

"Alice! What did you see?" Dr. Fang sounded just as mad as I felt, and all eyes were on her. Her mouth fell open as she formulated an acceptable response, one that might not start a war between us all.

"I didn't see Edward hurt her, I swear! I just saw that he wanted to talk to her, so he went to her house and waited. Bella, I _never_ thought he was planning to attack you, I just saw how depressed he felt and that he wanted to try and work things out, I just – "

"Alice, how… After what you saw him do this morning? You should have told me! What else are you hiding, Alice?" Bella's quavering voice displayed the hurt she felt, I would have recognized it even if I didn't feel the hurt right along with her. Being imprinted had its benefits I suppose, one of them being in tune with her and knowing what she's feeling. I knew her so well I almost didn't need it since her pain was mine, as it always had been. I rubbed her back soothingly; I knew she considered the pixie leech to be one of her closest friends, even if I scoffed at the very idea. Though I was right about them protecting their own kind over Bella, I still didn't like to see her feeling so betrayed.

"Nothing! All I know is that when he left your house he, uh, went hunting." The pixie looked nervously between Dr. Fang and me. I heard Bella suck in a breath sharply, her hand tightened on mine and her heart beat picked up in pace immediately. She covered her mouth with her free hand and looked up at me with wide, petrified eyes.

"Oh my god… Charlie, he… he said there was an attack and that's why he was working late. He said some hiker was mauled or something, and he told me to stay inside because they weren't sure who or what had caused it. I… I didn't put two and two together but now… oh my god, Jake… it can't be," she rambled, almost talking to herself.

My blood was beginning to boil at the implication and my vision slowly clouded with a red haze. I felt the vibrations begin their course through my body as I willed myself to calm down. I couldn't even speak for fear of phasing and hurting Bella.

I was shocked when Blondie spoke up, demanding an answer from the pixie. "What exactly is he _hunting_, Alice?" She sneered, her lips curled in disgust.

Instead of answering, the pixie turned to Dr. Fang for help. It was clear she wanted his permission before she admitted what we all were afraid of. "Carlisle?"

He spoke calmly, despite the gravity of the situation, "Is Edward involved in the attack Bella spoke of?"

Everyone held their breath, waiting for the inevitable. The pixie looked around at all of us, concern etched in her marble features, obviously knowing that her answer would decide the fate of them all.

Finally after what felt like hours, she gave one affirmative nod and a single syllable, "Yes."

**A/N: Crazy, right? Edward's off the deep end. What do you guys think?**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: So, what did everyone think of last chapter? As a recap, Edward's attacking humans and off the veggie diet. You know what that means for the rest of the Cullens…. I do feel slightly bad, as I've been writing this I think I've turned into the kind of author that I hate, writing a roller coaster where things get awesome and then horrible all in the same day. Chalk it up to it being my first fanfic, I guess. Hope you guys are still enjoying!**

**Chapter 12**

**JPOV**

The treaty is over. Without a doubt, I am no longer prohibiting our pack from destroying that Cullen freak just like I'd begged for, ever since he got his hooks into Bella. I knew nothing good would come of their relationship, even before I knew what he was. Now that I know for certain what he is, and more importantly what _I_ am, I am salivating for some well-earned revenge.

Around me, my pack are exploding into their wolf forms and begin moving forward to surround the bloodsuckers. The snarling that was coming from them was almost too loud to be able to think, and the Cullens hissed angrily back at us, in anticipation of our attack. Bella's trembling form, the violent tremors traveling from her hand into mine, brought me back to my senses in a hurry.

"Stop! Everyone stay where you are!" My first alpha command forced them all to a submission on the ground and I heard whimpering from Seth's direction. Even he had been ready to pull the limbs off those leeches and he had been buddy-buddy with Edward for the longest time, against Sam's better judgment. No more. Absolutely no more playing nice with those lying, sneaking parasites.

"Jacob, if you please?" Dr. Fang called out in a rush across the now non-existent treaty line. "We'd like to offer our assistance in locating Edward. Regardless of what he may or may not have done, he's still my son and part of our family. You can understand that?"

I gritted my teeth, and barely pushed the words from my lips. "What I _understand_ is that he has broken the treaty. He will be shown no mercy. He has _killed_ _a_ _human_. You all need to leave before I extend the same punishment to all of you. You have one week." The pack growled menacingly in response.

"Jake, no!" Bella cried out in panic.

"Bella, he broke the treaty. He killed people!" I knew she was attached to them and I didn't expect her to feel nothing overnight. But at the same time I was incredulous that she still cared what happened to that leech, after him hurting _her_, trying to kill _me, _actually killing other innocent people.

"I know that! But I can't live with it if he's killed!" As the words flew from her lips she clapped a hand over her mouth in shock, and I wanted, I _so_ wanted to believe it wasn't true.

I watched a hundred different things flicker through her eyes. Her emotions rolled off her in turbulent waves; allowing me to feel her concern over that piece of shit's existence and caught a fleeting wave of love for him. She'd confirmed what I had known all along, what I'd been expecting. It was unsurprising and yet all day I had found myself believing in her more and more. I thought that maybe after all this karmic suffering I finally would be rewarded with what I wanted: her. But here it was. She was more concerned about that leech than she was about me, herself, or any defenseless person in Forks. The pixie saw her still becoming one of them, what other proof did I really need? And yet I'd still hoped her love for me was real. I was second best, and that would never change. I would never be enough.

As I stepped back, she grabbed desperately for my hand but I pushed her away. Her hands clutched to my arm and I pried them off wordlessly, as she sobbed her apologies. I could barely focus on what she was saying, the throbbing in my chest growing exponentially the more determined I was in keeping her from touching me. I couldn't. I couldn't let her get a hold of me or I would be made a fool of, yet again.

"Jacob, _please!_ I don't know why I said that, I don't mean it that way!" she blubbered messily, my own growing sadness mirrored on her tear-stained face. I refused to permit the agony brimming in my eyes to fall; I wanted no visible evidence for her to know that she'd broken me or that I'd allowed her to.

"You love him?" I whispered, unable to watch her face for her reaction. I just needed to hear the words. Just say the words and I can walk away. Say the words and I can end this nightmare.

"Jake… it's not…"

"Yes or no."

"Yes, but – "

"That's enough."

She fell to the ground in her grief, over what I had no clue. Maybe she was being honest and she'd said it out of habit, or maybe she felt guilty for pulling this shit on me again. The wolf wanted nothing more than to comfort his imprint but I was having none of it. At this point the numbness that was trickling into my blood and moving like honey through my body had made its way to my brain. I watched her grovel and plead, as I stood far removed from this hell of a life and too detached to respond. Has this really only been one day? My wishes granted in the morning to have them ripped back from me that same night?

I found my voice and stared out into nothing as I spoke tonelessly, "If Cullen is found, he's not to be harmed. He is to be returned to his house so that he and his _family_ can leave together." I formed the words despite every instinct inside me rebelling against it.

"You can't be serious! Because of her, that fucking leech-loving bitch?" Paul protested.

The numbness that had so easily slid into my body was drained, only to be replaced by blind fury. I gathered Paul up by his mutinous throat and slammed his head against a tree, sending a sickening thud echoing out into the dark.

"Not. To. Be. Harmed." I repeated as calmly as I could manage, though I was silently begging him to keep talking. _Please Paul, say something else. I could use a way to relieve some of this aggression right now._

I dropped him and turned enough to just barely look Dr. Fang in the eye. "Take care of her." Stunned at my outburst he only nodded briefly and I looked away. My parting words signaled my exit, my rapidly increasing desire to leave all this behind. I pondered whether I should actually give up phasing or maybe I would just turn rogue and run all the way to Canada alone. Or maybe I'd make sure to find Cullen myself and have a stunning live performance of that miserable recurring dream I'd been having.

"Great girl you got there, Black! More loyalty to a bunch of bloodsuckers than to her own imprint!" He choked out a mocking laugh for good measure as he massaged his aching throat. _Good old Paul, I can always count on you._

Without another thought I swung a fist, connecting solidly with his face. I heard a crunch and then blood was pouring from his nose as he crouched over in pain, groaning. I waited, praying he'd hit me back. Quil and Sam were at his side, partly holding him in place though I think if he'd really wanted to he could have come at me as I was sure he would. Embry pulled me away before I could snap at anyone else, leading me back toward home. I let him pull me from my Bella – no, just Bella– and when I was far enough away that I was sure no one would hear or see, I let go. I let go of everything, anything, all the traces of emotion I could find were bitterly evicted from every corner of my being. I felt nothing but emptiness, a vacuum of vacant space where my hopes and dreams once lived.

**BPOV**

From the moment I met Edward Cullen I was enamored with him. Obsessed, even. I was wrapped up so tightly in his world that it became my own, and when the pieces between us didn't fit I forced them, jammed them and reworked the rest of the puzzle until the original pieces were so jumbled that the mismatched pieces were rendered irrelevant. He was a vampire, I wasn't, so I pledged to become one. I wanted to progress our relationship, he wanted marriage first, something I was so vehemently opposed to, but marriage won. Edward naturally couldn't have children, so I convinced myself I hadn't wanted them in the first place. The more I felt myself bending to his will the more I lost myself. Then something terrifying happened, it started to feel natural, as if I'd never had a mind of my own at all.

When Edward left me in the woods that night, I all but wished Victoria would find me and drink the life right out of my body. I would have begged her to do it and gleefully thanked her in the process. But in the months after, I learned to laugh again. I found that spending time with Jake was fun, the laugh-until-it-hurts kind; he was goofy and ridiculous and didn't take anything seriously. I had never felt so alive as I had in the moments I spent with him. I felt free, like I could breathe and take on challenges and live my life as I saw fit. Even if something was slightly dangerous he encouraged me to do it (offering his help of course). Needless to say he was the antithesis of Edward.

With Edward I romanticized that I had walked right into a Jane Austen novel, complete with poetry readings and writing of classical music in my honor. I never felt worthy of him, not once. He valued upstanding morals and spoke verbosely of my soul and mortal danger, eloquently spouting words of love and devotion. I eagerly played the damsel while Edward brought nothing with him but distress. Even his return gave me nothing but heartache, extending beyond me to those I loved, causing them pain on my behalf.

The more I fell in love with Jake, the more Edward pushed marriage on me. Then he upped the ante, promising the sexual intimacy I craved and offered to change me himself, after the marriage of course. He disabled my truck to keep me from Jake, he bought his sister a car to keep me kidnapped for a weekend if he was out of town, bought me plane tickets to send me across the country at his whim. The last demand, or should I say suggestion which in order to appease Edward became one and the same, was that after the wedding and the change I would leave my family and everyone I loved forever. Not in the hyperbolic sense but literally, eternity. All the while he treated me as some inferior silly woman that shouldn't trouble herself with deciding what she wants out of her own life, that was for _him_ to decide, after all. He could have patented the condescending phrase he used most often, _It's for your own good, love._ Either that or, _Bella, it's too dangerous._

After a while I realized that while I thought what Edward and I shared was love, it was anything but. It was more like a perverse dysfunction, I as the puppet with Edward pulling the strings. He managed to manipulate skillfully and I naively loved him all the more for it, defending him against his critics, pushing even my own family from my life bit by bit.

I knew it was guilt and fear that kept me with Edward but I convinced myself otherwise. After the scare in Italy with him attempting to end his life, I knew that there was no way I could live with that over my head. I wasn't in love with him anymore though I did still love him, and missed his family terribly, maybe even more than I missed _him_. His demands were worse upon his return. _He isn't controlling_, I told myself, _he just loves me so much._ It was an after-school special waiting to happen but in my relative inexperience I thought our relationship was normal. Alice made me feel like I should be grateful for his efforts. Edward had been my first and only love thus far, but I felt like I knew everything there was to know about love. My mother tried to offer me advice, warning me that we were too intense, my father suggested some time apart and was grudging of my abandonment of Jake, my friends even seemed disappointed when I took Edward back with open arms after he left me suddenly. Truth be told I was disappointed in myself but stubbornness kept me from letting anyone in on that little secret.

I knew I would choose Jake after our perfect kiss on the mountain. In all the time I'd been with Edward, I'd never felt so secure, loved, cherished, so completely everything as I did in those few seconds with Jacob. The dreams I had of our children held so much promise for me, promises and wishes I had no idea I even had until we became so close. Our friendship, blurred lines and all, had become the central happiness in my life. Everything we did, as long as he and I were together, was like magic, yet it was natural and easy. Effortless.

When I blurted out in front of god and everybody that I couldn't live if Edward were killed, I wished with all my heart I could take it back. I _could_ in fact live if Edward were gone, I had lived it and told the tale as they say. A growing part of me thought his punishment was justified; I would miss him but he had to pay penance for his actions. Heinous behavior merits serious consequences. What I'd meant but couldn't find the words to express was that I did not want the guilt of his death to poison my life. The death I'd worked so hard to prevent in Italy, putting my own life on the line as collateral. He had come back, promising me that he wouldn't exist without me. I'd inferred the veiled threat, there. The constant guilt, the permanent heaviness, the proverbial black mark on my soul, that is if I believed in them. I couldn't live with _that._

In just the past 24 hours Edward had magnified his control issues, physically expressing his displeasure of my choices, even going so far as to brutally murder innocent people, and I believed it all to be my fault. His spiral into madness had been catalyzed by breaking off our relationship suddenly to be with a mortal foe. If I had just stayed with the plan, if I had just married him as he wanted, if I had just done what he requested. Everything led back to that. _If I had just._

Watching Jake walk away from me was harder than the aftermath when Edward left. It was harder knowing that I should have just explained myself but the words wouldn't come. All I could do was apologize and beg forgiveness, addressing the symptom rather than the cause, so to speak. I know he misunderstood, I knew all of them did, but my brain refused to cooperate in my blatant desperation. I didn't even care what an embarrassing scene I was causing, complete with ugly, blotchy-faced sobs and groveling.

Paul's merciless taunts at Jake added salt to the wound and I doubted he'd ever forgive me. I was silently thankful when Jake deservedly broke his nose but when Paul followed up with the imprint comment, I didn't believe it. I never knew Jake to keep secrets from me, just as I'd never done with him, so why wouldn't he have told me about that? He knew it would have eliminated the one and only fear I had about being involved with him. I felt momentarily as though I could have flown away on the wings of those words alone, _I'm his imprint_. My heart sank as I realized he didn't trust me; as he saw it, my panicked cries on Edward's behalf were my admission that I would go back to him. His insecurities stemmed from every choice I'd ever made in my life. I'd left Jake for Edward what? Two, three times now? This was just expected behavior in his opinion. If only I hadn't been so afraid and had chosen him in the first place. If only he'd let me explain. If I had just spoken the right words. _If I had just. _My list of regrets grew ever longer the more I thought about the horrible person I'd let myself become by making my life only about Edward.

As I lay there on the ground I was inconsolable. I refused to let Alice make any attempts to comfort me or put her deceitful hands anywhere on me. I no longer trusted or allied with any of them. A small part of me understood she was just protecting her brother but the larger, rational, daughter-of-a-police-chief part recoiled at her actions, outraged that she would protect him at the expense of innocent peoples' lives. Jake had warned me, even Edward had warned me that vampires were devious creatures by nature, designed only to draw in prey, acting only as would benefit themselves.

I loudly defied the Cullens' velvety-voiced pleas to return home with them, screaming that it was they who had brought this whole hellish saga to Forks in the first place. If they hadn't lived here, if Edward hadn't virtually brainwashed me into submission, then Jake would never have had to phase and he wouldn't be dealing with this god damned mystical bullshit, and fuck! fuck! fuck! for emphasis. The profanity helped punctuate my point, giving me a forbidden satisfaction as my tongue shaped the words. Esme was positively mortified and Carlisle stared on in horror, as neither they nor I thought I had it in me. Only Rosalie and Emmett looked outwardly pleased or maybe entertained, and Rosalie alone portrayed a somewhat misplaced emotion, pride.

I begged them all to leave. I pronounced my deepest apologies that I would no longer associate with them and would they kindly leave me alone, please and thank you. I glanced at Jasper and wondered idly why he hadn't sent some calming vibes my way but he was pulling at Alice, too preoccupied with her to worry about me.

Alice, finally getting as angry as I was after my verbal massacre, dared to ask, "Is this all because of that disgusting _dog_?"

Straightening up as tall as my five feet, four inches would allow, I wiped the tears from my disastrous face and sneered directly back in her flawless one, "You're god damn right it is, _leech_," before I promptly turned on my heel to leave. Alice was speechless but I heard a mirthful, satisfied laugh. Rosalie.

I could barely believe the turn of events myself, and in my state of near-hysteria, I hadn't noticed Leah standing back against a tree, smugly taking in the whole exchange with a smile on her face. I rolled my eyes as she pushed off and approached me, jogging up to keep her steps in time with mine.

"What do you want, Leah? As you can see I've completely lost my sanity and I'm in no mood to deal with your shit." Damn if I didn't like this new, self-assured, foul-mouthed, unafraid-to-speak-her-mind Bella.

She laughed, amused. "I'm impressed. I never thought I'd see the day. Leech-lover Bella having a meltdown in the middle of the woods, insulting her beloved bloodsuckers."

"Does this little heart-to-heart have a point, Leah?" My adrenaline was pumping faster than it ever had, and I felt almost invincible. At least against Leah and her vitriol.

"Yes, actually, it does."

"So, make the point then so I can leave." I stopped abruptly and stared up at her, waiting, my eyebrows obnoxiously arched in mock expectation.

"You need to get your ass back and tell all this to Jake."

"Like he'll believe me? You know he didn't even tell me about the imprint? It's because he doesn't trust me, Leah. He thinks I'm going to leave him again. Nothing I can say will make him believe anything. I've already done it to him so many times that I think I've run out of chances. I can't even blame him because the truth is, he's right. He shouldn't have trusted me because I haven't realized, I mean really, truly realized, how lucky I was to have him until five minutes ago... sometime shortly after he walked away from me." My lip quivered against my will at the thought of losing him directly because of my stupidity. _If I had just. _I sighed heavily, my adrenaline rush rapidly deflating.

"He'll believe you, especially once I play him the highlights."

"Why would you do that? You don't even like me." I had no idea why she had suddenly decided to help. It was so very unlike her that I was suspicious.

"I think it's safe to say I like you a little more _now _after watching you tell off six vampires like you just did." She jabbed me lightly with her elbow and laughed again. It was more than I've seen her laugh in the entire time I'd known her. Maybe this showdown at the treaty line did some good for more than just me.

"I just… I don't think it will matter. I've hurt him too much. Imprint or not, Jake must have limits to his understanding."

"Not when it comes to you. Trust me on this, I've been inside his head." She put her hands on her hips and eyed me. After a moment of my hesitant silence, she continued, "So are you coming willingly, or do I have to beat and drag you?"

**A/N: Wow, that one kind of took on a mind of its own! I had to stop it here, I know it's kind of a weird place but if I didn't it would have just kept going and going. Let me know what you think. Was I right about the roller coaster thing? Do you guys just want to see J&B happy already? There's one more nasty unhappy chapter coming and then after that I plan on some lovin'.**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: This one's a little on the shorter side but the drama is starting to pick up a bit more. I believe we're coming to the end, guys. Maybe that will free up some time for other fics, who knows. As always please leave me some love! It's the only reward I have for spending time on this!**

**Chapter 13**

**BPOV **

She had me won over with her insistence. I agreed to go back to Jake's with her, talk it all out, explain what I really meant, what I'd begun to refer to as Bella's Breakthrough. I knew I still had a chance, however slim, and with Jake it was worth taking. I'd groveled and begged once already tonight, what's once more in the scheme of things.

"Wait here a sec, I'm gonna go behind that tree and phase and I'll be right back." She pointed to a wide tree trunk several yards away and I nodded absently, deeply involved in creating the apologetic monologue I'd be delivering to Jake in mere minutes.

I turned my back to her to be polite and give her some privacy. I heard footsteps behind me and was surprised by her quickness. I started to speak, "Back so soon?" but my mouth was deftly covered by a frozen hand, stifling the words and the emerging scream. I fought against whatever had a hold on me, a vampire, I knew that much, but it was useless, like arm-wrestling solid steel bars.

In the next moment I was shuttled upward at a nauseating speed, branches and leaves flying past me whipping me harshly in the face. As we settled into the top of the tree, I finally got a large enough breath to fill my terrified lungs. My mouth was covered so I inhaled through my nose by default. The oxygen carried the sweet, peppermint scent I once loved but now feared. I knew without having to look. Edward.

My eyes went wide and I turned around to face him, his red irises immediately chilling me to the bone. Blood red. I knew what I had heard from Alice but to see it confirmed in person paralyzed me. He placed a finger to his sinister grin and motioned for my silence. As if I could bring myself to speak in my terror.

"Bella?" Leah called my name from far below and it echoed up to us eerily. My heart was pounding in my chest when I felt a warm drip down my forehead. Please god, don't let me be bleeding, not now, _not now! _

Edward's hand was still firmly clamped over my mouth and he held me perfectly still. Not even the leaves were trembling as he clung to the flimsy branches. We both watched as Leah ran around, obviously searching for me. She also clearly didn't smell anything out of the ordinary and the hopes that she'd find me quickly faded.

"Bella! Bella, answer me!" Her voice was more concerned now, bordering on distress.

She jogged further away from our perch, and I could have cried as her figure shrank. I suppose her distance gave Edward some assurance that she wouldn't hear his voice, so he whispered, "If you scream or make any noise, I will drop you from this tree, do you understand? Nod if you do." I nodded as much as his iron grip would allow and awaited his next words.

I wanted to believe this was part of an awful, vivid dream and I'd wake up with Charlie hovering over me, worry knitting his brows. It was beyond anything I could have ever imagined, that Edward would become my worst nightmare overnight.

He placed a kiss to my forehead, inhaled deeply and groaned his enjoyment; I whimpered in terror. He'd found the broken skin on my face and savored the scent of my blood. I was his singer, after all.

"Love, I've decided to give you what you want." He smiled at me, a wide expectant smile that didn't quite reach his devil's eyes. "I'm going to make you one of us, Bella. Tonight."

**JPOV**

Leah hadn't come back with the rest of us and I was beginning to take it as a sign of disrespect. I knew I hadn't exactly acted in the interest of my people but if anyone could understand being ruined by what I was beginning to consider a botched imprint I figured it would be her. Everyone was arriving back, milling around on my porch waiting for us all to get here so we could get our plan together for finding Cullen.

While I aimlessly paced around in the grass Paul showed up looking pissed off, his nose slightly swollen and bruised. He didn't say a word as he walked past me to take a seat on the step. I felt like a dick for hitting him, and told myself it's either now or never for the apology he was owed.

"Paul, I'm sorry about before."

"Don't worry about it, I shouldn't have said what I said about Bella. We all know how people get when their imprint is insulted so let's just drop it, alright?" I was shocked by his diplomacy but nodded and began my pacing again. This Bella shit really had me out of my head and I was walking, trying to expend some nervous energy as I unsuccessfully convinced myself I didn't care about her. The growing uneasy knot in my stomach I associated with leaving my imprint behind, not having any idea the emotion I felt was from another source entirely.

Finally I heard rustling in the woods behind the house and turned to see Leah sprinting up toward us, tearing up the grass like a bat out of hell. In the dark I couldn't see her expression so I figured she was hustling because she was the last to arrive, but when she yelled out to us from halfway across the yard my heart stopped.

"Bella's gone! They took her!" It wasn't so much what she said but the panic laced in her voice that cause me to react in kind.

"They who?" I demanded.

"I'm not sure, definitely vamp. I think it might be Edward. I caught a slight scent but it wasn't much so I didn't think anything of it. I only turned around to phase, I swear to god, Jake, she was there and then she wasn't. It was like she disappeared into thin air."

"What do you mean? You caught a scent and then you still left her alone? What the fuck Leah, you know better than that!" I thought about Bella, alone with that maniac, who aside from being a run of the mill psychopath is also a bloodsucking vampire freshly back on his people-eating diet. What was it she'd told me about them once, that her blood sings to him? I growled and punched the wall, leaving a softball-sized hole depressed into the side of the house.

"I thought it might have been one of the other ones that was there for the meeting! I didn't think about it until she was gone! The scent didn't even leave a trail behind! It was just, I dunno, there!" Her hands roughly pulled at her hair in frustration.

"We have to find her, where did you last see her? Show me!" I made every last attempt to calm myself or I felt my fury would cause me to spontaneously combust. I tried not to blame Leah for this but I knew that if anything happened to Bella I would never forgive her, just like I'd never forgive myself. I'd left her there with those bloodsuckers in the first place. I just walked away like she meant nothing. Her last memory of me would be watching my back recede into the shadows, leaving her alone and vulnerable to whatever creatures lurked in the dark.

We took off running toward the woods with Leah explaining the exact location as a bright red sports car came speeding down the road. It must have been going a hundred miles an hour but it whipped into my narrow driveway fluidly, throwing rocks and dust around in a cloud. The last two people in the world I'd ever expect to see pull up to my house were in the sedan.

Blondie was brutally dragging that little pixie leech out of the car and out to the pack, screeching at her all the way.

"Alice, so help me god, you better tell them. Tell them NOW." Blondie was menacingly manhandling the psychic one, and when she didn't start talking fast enough for Blondie's liking she gave a violent shake and the pixie's teeth clacked together loudly.

"Edward has Bella and he's decided he's going to turn her as soon as he can get her somewhere alone."

"He's already got her alone!" I grit out, throwing a glare at Leah.

"He hasn't done it yet, I know that much." She looked terrified and with good cause; all of us looming over her, not even her own sister to defend her. Her eyes kept jumping back to watch Blondie, unsure of her next move.

"Where are they?"

"He's taking her back to the campsite where they stayed the night of the newborn fight. He didn't think I'd tell you; he saw Bella screaming at us so he's being careless with guarding his decisions."

"Emmett's already on his way, but we don't have much time. He'll only be able to distract Edward temporarily if he has no one to help him." Blondie surprised the hell out of me. From what I remember when Bella used to talk about them, I thought they hated each other. I wasn't sure if I should trust her just based upon the fact that she's a leech too, but the determination in her voice and her abusing her sister convinced me just enough.

"What do we do if we find the leech then? Let him go on his merry way like you said before? Or do we get to actually get to do the one thing that's the reason for our existence?" Paul asked, the sarcasm dripping from his words.

"Leah you're sure about what you heard?" As much as it might go against my born and bred beliefs, I couldn't hurt Bella by letting anything happen to Edward if I knew she still wanted him.

"Positive. She told them to leave!" Leah yelled.

Blondie nodded as well. "Heard it with my own two ears," she smiled. "Now do you want to stand here and waste more time or can we get moving?"

"Let's go, everyone, now!" I took off at a sprint and phased on the fly just before reaching the tree line. I waited to answer Paul's question until the leeches couldn't hear me.

_Paul, like I said earlier, that leech is not to be harmed. _

_ Jake, for fuck's sake! You can't just –_

_ EVERYONE LISTEN UP! I want Cullen found and I want him in one piece when he is brought to me. _I growled a satisfying, dominant growl before I continued, _He's mine._

A/N: Do I have to say it again? Please review! ;)


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